Chinese tech company Baidu says artificial intelligence is entering a ‘golden age’ on the mainland

Company tells its annual developers’ conference, Baidu Create, that a growing pool of talent is contributing to China’s AI capability

It says AI innovations on the mainland could advance developments in sectors including transportation, health care and even space exploration

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The virtual conference centre in Baidu’s metaverse app XiRang can simultaneously accommodate 100,000 people for meetings and other interactions. Photo: Baidu

Published: 2:30pm, 28 Dec 2021Updated: 10:22am, 1 Mar 2022

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has already played an indispensable role in daily life, but its golden age is yet to come as China, the world’s emerging AI leader, prepares for the fourth wave of the industrial revolution.

On December 27, the Chinese tech giant Baidu held the first metaverse conference in China, in which 100,000 people were able to interact simultaneously on the same screen. The unprecedented event signals how Chinese technology firms have expanded their AI vision beyond smart speakers and other smart home appliances.

The world’s second-largest economy has proved to be fertile ground for AI. From 2015 to 2020, the market valuation of the AI sector grew at an annual rate of 44.5 per cent in China, compared to 22.6 per cent globally, according to a Deloitte report. And according to a report by Accenture, by 2019, China had become the world’s second-largest AI market, accounting for 12 per cent of the global AI economy.

Since 2017, AI in China has been deeply integrated with manufacturing, finance, commerce and other fields to help accelerate digital transformation. In the outline of the 14th five-year plan, Chinese policymakers addressed AI-related technology as “a fundamental core area”.

Baidu chief executive officer, chairman and co-founder Robin Li welcomed a “golden age” of AI at Baidu Create. Photo: Baidu

Chinese tech company Baidu says artificial intelligence is entering a ‘golden age’ on the mainland

Company tells its annual developers’ conference, Baidu Create, that a growing pool of talent is contributing to China’s AI capability It says AI innovations on the mainland could advance developments in sectors including transportation, health care and even space exploration

Company tells its annual developers’ conference, Baidu Create, that a growing pool of talent is contributing to China’s AI capability

It says AI innovations on the mainland could advance developments in sectors including transportation, health care and even space exploration