China's Ambitious AI Showdown at 2025 World AI Conference
The WAIC 2025 highlights China's efforts to surpass US AI leadership amid geopolitical tensions.
Key Points
- • WAIC in Shanghai attracts thousands, highlighting China's ambition to lead in AI.
- • Trump's AI Action Plan aims to maintain US competitiveness in the AI sector.
- • Chinese AI startup DeepSeek gains notable attention for its innovative models.
- • Venture capital investment in China's tech sector is experiencing a resurgence.
The 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai has attracted a significant crowd of tech leaders and investors, emphasizing China's ambition to exceed the United States in AI development. This year's conference is particularly notable as it coincides with a heightened US-China tech rivalry, punctuated by US President Donald Trump's introduction of an AI Action Plan aimed at bolstering US leadership in the sector after the emergence of advanced AI models like ChatGPT.
Key highlights from the WAIC include the debut of DeepSeek, a groundbreaking Chinese AI startup that has quickly gained attention for producing low-cost, high-performance AI models. Investor Louis Liang of Ameba Capital commented on the transformative potential of AI in China, stating, "This is just the beginning of China's AI innovation wave," as the country targets a $100 billion AI industry by 2030. The conference features presentations from leading humanoid robot manufacturers, including UBTech and Unitree, showcasing advancements that underline China's prowess in robotics and AI.