By FANG Zhuoran

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2022 will kick off in Shanghai on September 1. It will be the first national-level event held in the city since the lockdown.

Themed “Intelligent Connectivity, Inspirational Cities,” the conference will highlight metaverses and brain-computer interfaces as well as ethical and moral issues from all over the world.

ZHANG Ying of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization said a metaverse exhibition will be at the core of the conference, showing the development of Shanghai’s AI industry in the last five years.

WAIC 2022 expects more than 300 guests to participate in over 100 forums. Among the 200 companies to attend, 30 percent are newcomers.  

Shanghai has designated AI, integrated circuits and biomedicine as strategic industries in its long-term development blueprint. Last year, AI brought the city 280 billion yuan of revenue, 18 percent more than 2020.