Magnet for talent

By providing various forms of support for developers and entrepreneurs to experiment and innovate, the city has attracted nearly 300,000 AI talents, according to Chen, the vice-mayor.

"Gathering top-level developers from around the world, the event (summit) aims to explore cutting-edge technologies and industry integration, turning creativity into tangible results, and making Shanghai a global city where developers pursue their dreams," Chen said.

Huang Yi, founder and CEO of Shanghai RoboParty Technology Co, said one of the most frequent questions he is asked is why his team traveled more than 2,000 kilometers from Northeast China to establish the company in Shanghai.

"It is because, on this land, we can realize our ideas and dreams at a speed that can only be achieved in China," said the humanoid robot developer, who is in his early 20s and one of China's youngest CEOs.

"For a small, specialized technology team, Shanghai not only supports our pursuit of dreams, but also provides an environment and policies that allow us to live and grow. The city's growing potential also enables us to invest every penny in research and development," Huang added.

Li Jinjin, founder of Shanghai Jincheng Technology Co, said that over the years she had been a witness and beneficiary of Shanghai's efforts to gather global talent.

"The municipal government's inclusiveness and the rising demand for AI have facilitated the progress of transforming our technologies into market solutions," said Li, who is also a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and director of the Artificial Intelligence and Micro Structure Laboratory.

"China is the world's largest industrial manufacturing country with a complete industrial system. I firmly believe that the future of industry requires not only standardizing processes for instruments and equipment, but also preserving the lifelong hands-on experience of veteran workers," said the scientist and cross-disciplinary entrepreneur.

The large models developed by her company have successfully achieved substantial implementation in numerous industrial scenarios, Li said.

"For instance, we've developed an AI bio-fermentation engineer, which can learn the experience of master craftsmen passed on from generation to generation and can help listed companies increase their production by 5 percent to 10 percent, generating hundreds of millions of yuan in economic value," she said.

"Manufacturing is the foundation of a nation, and AI will be the impetus for its upgrading," she added.