Themed "Intelligent Connectivity Infinite Multiverse," the three-day conference concluded on Saturday in Shanghai.

Walking into the exhibition hall, a screen showing characters on an ancient bronze vessel through an AI recognition system attracted many visitors.

"Words scattered on the vessel are small and dense, and the reflective surface is bent and uneven, making it extremely difficult to identify them," said Wang Lechen, head of marketing of the Shanghai-based tech company specializing in business data and AI.

Last year, the system could recognize ancient inscriptions on tortoise shells. The system has now been upgraded and can recognize characters in more complex scenarios through intelligent image processing and language processing technologies and translate them to modern Chinese characters. The system can also punctuate the sentences to help readers better understand the meaning, according to Wang.

Beyond recognizing ancient characters on bronze vessels, the AI recognition system is now applicable in more fields, such as card and ticket readers and handwritten documents.

By entering "a dog is taking photos" on the screen, a painting depicting the theme will be generated in just two minutes. People can also choose the painting styles and oil or watercolor formats.

"The pre-trained big model can be used in cultural and creative design to improve the diversity of content. It is also applicable to medical care and finance," said Zhang Quanwen, marketing director of the Technology Platform Group of Chinese tech giant Baidu.

Data shows that more than 200 exhibitors participated in the conference, covering computing chips, immersive holographic technology, and intelligent interactive terminals. More than 30 percent participated for the first time, and more than 40 percent were from outside Shanghai and abroad.

AI has been playing a key role in promoting high-quality development in a wide range of fields and is also a driving force for the development of science and technology, industrial optimization, and the upgrading of productivity.

A life-saving robot, which recently rescued a drowning boy and has been praised as "the power of science and technology" by netizens, showed up at the conference.

"The robot has several sets of intelligent delivery systems and high-precision video monitoring devices, which can solve many problems during rescues carried out by humans. The rescue robot can be used in swim areas at beaches and rivers to ensure the safety of citizens," said Zhou Zhiyong, general manager of the brand department of Zhuhai Yunzhou Intelligent Technology Ltd.

"We will continue to focus on technological breakthroughs and application expansion, strengthen research and development, and consolidate smart facilities. We will also expand application scenarios, optimize the industry, promote the deep integration of AI and the real economy, and achieve high-quality development," said Jin Zhuanglong, secretary of the leading Party members group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Xinhua