A robot interacts with visitors during the 2018 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Sept 15, 2018. [Photo by Gao Yuwen/For China Daily]

Industrial alliance

All industries require economies of scale and AI is no exception. To facilitate Shanghai's pioneering of the latest AI technologies, the city has set up a special AI industrial alliance dedicated to resource matchmaking.

The 22-member bloc consists of leading AI enterprises ranging from domestic internet giants such as Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu to international powerhouses such as the Microsoft Asia Research Center (Shanghai) and ABB, a Swiss conglomerate that also specializes in robotics and automation technology. The alliance aims to provide resources matchmaking for participating enterprises, providing them with rich application scenarios where an AI-makeover is deemed essential.

Incubator - AI Space

The first physical incubator was unveiled in May as Shanghai strives to make AI a cornerstone of its industrial transformation. Launched in Shanghai's Wujiaochang, an area home to multiple leading research houses such as Fudan University and Tongji University, the first 3,000 square-meter AI Space serves as an accelerator to turn abstract AI ideas into prototypes and potentially into tangible products.

The facility will provide working space, databases, technical support, financing and resources matchmaking with application scenarios. Such a model will be duplicated across the city in due time. Five AI startups have signed memorandums of understanding with the first AI Space, covering areas such as the combination of AI and medical care, education and big data.

WAIC+AIWIN competition

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which debuted in September, brings together the world's top AI luminaries, entrepreneurs and academicians to share their insights on the latest development of this technology. While the inaugural meeting attracted a host of high-profile personalities including Turing Award winner Raj Reddy, this year's event, which is scheduled to run from Aug 29 to 31, will expand both in scale and depth. Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk's participation is already a strong indication that the WAIC is gaining traction globally. To pave the way for the conference and attract AI startups, notably those from abroad, an AI competition called AIWIN will be held ahead of the WAIC. Awards in four subcategories will be given to winning teams. Local authorities have ratcheted it up a notch this year by recruiting overseas teams through roadshows in Israel, France, and the United Kingdom.

AIsland

Among the six AI demonstration zones that the city plans to construct, AIsland serves as an ideal prototype mimicking what future metropolitan life could look like. The 66,000 square-meter special zone in Zhangjiang Science City, Shanghai's science and technology hub, will conduct a number of pilot programs such as smart parking, intelligent lighting, environment monitoring and unmanned convenience stores. The first batch of entrants includes international and domestic technology luminaries IBM, Microsoft, Alibaba, Tencent, SenseTime, and a research facility affiliated to Tongji University. The zone will feature the city's first 5G+AI pilot zone and host over 8,000 research and development personnel.