WAIC Takeaways: 100+ Million Deals, 100+ Million Views, 100K+ Attendees

The great naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt once said that most of the world's problems would be solved if people traveled, got to know one another more intimately, delved into cultural differences, and looked at the issues from other angles rather than just imposing one particular idea as superior.

Alexander Von Humboldt’s ideas best describe what WAIC 2021 was trying to accomplish. 

The World AI Conference is finally over, but its impact is just beginning. During the 4 day event, both Chinese and international AI experts got together to discuss the most pressing questions around AI, the industries it has impacted, new opportunities, and the future of the technology.

Over four days, WAIC activities and exhibitions were broadcasted online and attracted 352 million views, making it one of the most influential AI events globally.

WAIC has become crucial for helping the city of Shanghai achieve its long-term target to become a "global AI capital connecting east and west.

In 2020, Shanghai had 1,149 AI firms to establish a complete industry chain. The AI industry output reached 224.6 billion yuan (US$35.1 billion), 50 percent growth year on year. The city's three strategic sectors are AI, chips, and biomedicine.

Since the inception of WAIC, the annually-held event has attracted top scientists, business leaders, investors, potential users, and other relevant people to Shanghai. According to organizers, WAIC has been crucial in bringing talent, investment, and innovation to the city.

New topics like trustworthy AI, data management and legislation, and AI with carbon neutrality were discussed and debated. Over 300 exhibitors showcased the latest technologies and innovations in AI.

WAIC 2021 in Numbers:

Source: WAIC 2021 WeChat Official Channel.

The First European Online forum 

One of the Significant occasions that took place during WAIC 2021 is of The First European online Forum that was organized by Expand and Sinofy bringing together leaders in AI and Tech industries that shared their perspectives.

EOF keynote speakers include:

• Federico Faggin - President of the Federico and Elvia Faggin Foundation 
• Gadi Singer - Vice President and Director of Cognitive Computing Research at Intel Labs 
• Peter Vesterbacka - Chair of the Finest Bay Project and CEO of Slush 
• Constantijn van Oranje - Prince of Holland, Envoy at Techleap.nl, and Co-founder of Startup Fest Europe 
• Davide Cali- Chair of European China Federation for AI and CEO of Expand.hk
• Steve Nouri - Forbes Tech Council Member 
• Prof. Anders Lindquist - Zhiyuan Chair Professor at Jiao Tong University, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and fellow and fields award receiver at IEEE
• Nick Bostrom - Professor of Cognition at University of Oxford and Director at Oxford Future of Humanity Institute 
• Fabio Moioli- Head Consulting and Services at Microsoft and Forbes Tech Council member
• Emmanuel Goffi - Co-Director and Co-Founder at Global AI Ethics Institute and AI ethics consultant at Huawei 
• Prof. Stefano Piotto - CEO of Soft Mining Srl and Associate Professor at University of Salerno 
• Filippo Fabrocini - Professor of AI at Tongji University and director of Sustainable AI 

EOF Panel Discussions Include:

AI Ethics Goals for the 21st Century

Moderator: 

Alexandr Honchar, Co-Founder of Neurons Lab

Speakers:

Steve Nouri, AI Expert and member of the Forbes Technology Council

Emmanuel Goffi, Co-Founder of Global AI Ethics Institute

Aishwarya Srinivasan, AI and ML Innovation Leader at IBM

Emmanuel Daniel, CEO and Founder of The Asian Banker

Ana Chubinidze, CEO at Adalan AI and Founder and Director of AI Governance International

AI at a Crossroad: Another Winter, or a New Third Wave?

Moderator: 

Tim Scarfe, Chief Data Scientist at BP and ML Youtuber

Speakers: 

Gadi Singer, VP & Director, Cognitive Computing Research at Intel

Walid Saba, Founder and Principal Scientist at ONTOLOGIK.AI

Keith Duggar, Principal Technology Scientist at Microsoft

Christian Szegedy, Staff Researcher at Google Brain, Inventor of BatchNor

Prof J. Mark Bishop, Professor Emeritus at University of London

AI+High-tech Manufacturing 4.0

Moderator: 

Dong Qi, Overseas Director at Yida Future Group

Speakers: 

Maciej Poprawski, Founder and CEO of Flexbotics and Supervising Director of Expo Technologies

Corrado Licata, Founder and CEO at IOMES Ground Limited

Jin Yan, Vice President of Qingdao Hainayun Technology Holding Co., Ltd.

Xie Dengke, Founder and CEO of Qingdao Dadaozhijian Internet Technology Co., Ltd.

Yuan Zeguo, Founder and CEO of Happy SCM (Suzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

AI as the New Silk Road Between China and Europe

Moderator:

Prof. Filippo Fabrocini, Professor at Tongji University, Director of the Sustainable AI Lab

Speakers:

Peter Vesterbacka, CEO of FinEst Bay Area, Founder of Slush & Angry Birds

Prof. Antonino Marciano, Dep. of Physics, Fudan University

Giuseppe Tomasello, CEO of edugo.ai

Dr. Wei Cui, CTO at Squirrel AI 

Celyn Bricker, AI Artist

Artificial Intelligence: Does Consciousness Matter?

Moderator:

Davide Cali, CEO of Expand, Co-founder and Chair of Euro China Federation for AI – ECF.ai

Speakers:

Federico Faggin, Inventor of Microprocessor and Touchpad, Author of ‘Silicon’

Prof Nick Bostrom, Oxford Professor and Director of Future of Humanity at Oxford University

Prof. Giacomo D’Ariano, Full Professor of Quantum Physics' at the University of Pavia

Prof. Filippo Fabrocini, Professor at Tongji University, Director of the Sustainable AI Lab

The Role of AI in the Era of Ecological and Digital Transition 

Moderator: 

Manuele Monti, PhD, CEO and Founder of TechBricks

Speakers:

Fabio Moioli, Head of Consulting and Services at Microsoft

Luca Pontecorvi, PhD, Head of Structuring Italy at Enel

Oscar Ramos, Director of China Accelerator – Sosv

Charles Yhap, CEO and Founder of CleanRobotics

Stephane Vernede, CEO and Founder of Enwise

Machine learning achievements and trends in heavy industry

Moderator: 

Dr Eng. Corrado Licata, CEO of Iomes Group Limited

Speakers:

Jason Jiang, General Manager at Danieli Industrial Automation (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Marco Maritati, Co-CEO of Motus Operandi

Charles Yhap, CEO & Founder of CleanRobotics

Lorenzo Croce, Managing Director at Celano

Mikko Marsio, Senior Board Advisor at Advian Oy

Smart Cloud Revolution in Industry 4.0

Moderator: 

Dr. Eng. Marco Maritati, Co-CEO of Motus Operandi

Speakers:

Eric Liu, CTO and Founder of Digitwin

Prof. Ryad Chellali, Professor of AI and Robotics at Nanjing University

Corrado Licata, CEO of Iomes Group Limited

Gianfranco Lanini, Head of Business Development at Leonardo

Gianluca Giorgi, CEO and Founder of Es Automation Consulting

Machine Learning Achievements and Trends in Heavy Industry

How Can Artificial Intelligence Ensure Rapid Success in Terms of Cost Savings and Customer Experience Improvement? 

Moderators:

Giacinto Fiore, Co-Founder of AI Week Italia 

Speakers:

Pasquale Viscanti, Former CEO of BrainControl

Dario Orbecchi, Senior Customer Engagement Manager at Expert.ai

Piergiorgio Vittori, VP BD WorldWide and Regional Managing Director at Spitch

Sandro Parisi, CEO of Eudata

Ai-aided Precision Medicine: An Unavoidable Revolution

Moderator:

Enrico Santus, Data Science Leader in Pharmacovigilance at Bayer, AI Scientific Advisor

Speakers:

Charlotta Lindvall, Lab Director at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University

Alexandros Poulis, Senior Director at Transperfect

Michele Colucci, Managing Partner and CEO of Digital DX

Dr. Harsha Gurulingappa, Head of Text Analytics at Merck Data Office

Prof. Stefano Piotto, CEO of SoftMining, Associate Professor at University of Salermo

Global Perspective by The AI Journal`s Tom Allen

AI and its parallel emerging technologies have combined to make an impact on our society that is undeniable. The exceptional panel discussions and keynotes at WAIC this year clearly highlighted what AI can do on a global scale such as giving us new ways of working, connecting us with loved ones better, and giving us increased times to focus on areas of adding value.

People like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson are showing us everyday what AI can do. Only earlier in July Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, said AI will have a more profound impact on humanity than fire, electricity, and the internet. 

Thus, it’s important to focus on working collectively together, in order to harness the best of AI’s potential—rather than treating it as a race to a finish line that doesn’t even exist.

The AI Journal and the team is in a fortunate position where we witness awesome initiatives, regardless of success or failure which is another word for learning that shows how, as a civilization, we’re pushing boundaries and unlocking vast potential with capabilities such as AI. 

It’s because of the unique position of the AI Journal and its team that we get to see the thought processes behind a wide range of AI-enabled software and products across every domain, continent, cultures, industry, business units, and social situations out there. Examples of the top of my head range from:

• Smart cities using AI to map traffic light systems for quicker commutes and lower risk of car crashes
• Better understanding community water usage which reduces water wastage saving residents money on their water bill
• Testing airplane engines rigorously for errors through digital twins to stop faults and ultimately deaths 
•  Analyzing optimal flight paths so less fuel is used while passengers get to their destination quicker, also potentially reducing the cost of their plane ticket
• Using AI to spot early-stage cancer, resulting in lowered medical bills for the patient through 
• Using precision robotics on a surgery table to reduce the risk of human error and the rate of success of highly precise keyhole surgery

People are at best when they are working collectively, not on their own. Sure there are times for going at a project solo and getting deep work in. But for the most part, working in a team makes us more collaborative, more valued, allows us to get our voice heard, share ideas, build rapport with team members, and endless other benefits. Think about it, Microsoft built a tool used by 145 million people around the world literally called ‘Teams’ to solve the challenge of being in a silo and increase communications. 

It’s the exact same with problem-solving when using capabilities such as AI. This is why I firmly believe it’s important we don’t become separated by country or continent and turn this into a competition. We will maximize what we can achieve with AI and emerging technology when we work together, not against each other. 

Because of this, it's The AI Journal’s vision to provide a free education hub to help people understand the benefits and drawbacks, pros and cons, opportunities and challenges of AI, emerging technologies, and the people that drive this ‘digital transformation’.

That’s why it’s a pleasure to partner with Sinofy Group and their vision to bring together AI enthusiasts from the east and west to share the same passion to help countries, people, communities, and businesses across the world unlock the full potential of what we can achieve together with AI and the right education.  

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Remarks:

This article is the follow-up and concluding trilogy to my previous two articles about Power, Influence, and The Irreversible Rise of AI along with its impact along with scores of industries, both theoretically and practically. 

The First European Online Forum would not be possible without the support of great partners and team that made it happen, hence, I publicly would like to recognize team members. Interested in learning more? Click here.