2018年CRI AI a new growth driver to China's manufacturing capacity: NPC deputy

 

In a government work report delivered to NPC deputies, Premier¹ Li Keqiang said that China will continue to focus on the next-generation of research and development into Artificial Intelligence, or AI.

In the city of Hangzhou, a smart city solution called the City Brain has been put to use improving local traffic flow.

Ren Zhitao is a machine intelligence engineer for Alibaba Cloud, the creator of the City Brain. He shed some light on how this AI technology helps Hangzhou to run more efficiently².

He said that "the City Brain project was first launched in 2016, with Hangzhou being the first city to utilize³ the technology. After a one-year trial, it controls over 128 traffic lights in the pilot area. The journey time for vehicles in the area was reduced by 15 percent, and time on the overpass⁴ was cut by 4.6 minutes. Thanks to its coordination⁵, a so-called 'green passage' can be opened in an emergency situation, cutting in half the time it takes for an ambulance to get to the scene. In another city, Suzhou, the City Brain can schedule the departure time of the city bus in an elastic⁶ manner. In Quzhou, it also helps improve security."

Earlier this year, the Malaysian government decided⁷ to adopt the City Brain solution in its capital city, Kuala Lumpur, in a move to tackle the city's traffic problem.

China's AI technology sector⁸ has developed at a fast pace in recent years, with the industry receiving 188 billion yuan of investment and financing in the last year alone. That is equivalent to 28 billion US dollars.

Intelligent driving, big data, and data service are among the main areas of investment.

Beijing is home to the largest number of AI enterprises, with more than 260 located in the city. Guangdong and Shanghai are the other two centers where China's AI enterprises are clustered.

Wang Shuguo is the President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, and a deputy to this year's NPC. He believed China brings several advantages to the development of new AI technology.

Wang said that "the biggest advantage for China is its talents, including the young people and those leading the industry, thanks to the favorable environment created by the government. They acutely perceive that AI would be a developing trend in the future. Most importantly, the government has put AI on its development agenda, which encourages start-ups and leading figures to join this industry."

Wang Shuguo added that China's matured market, huge demand for the technology, and its strong production capacity also prop⁹ up the fast development of AI industry.

China's government mapped out its AI development plan in July last year, vowing¹⁰ to bring the value of core AI industries up to one trillion yuan, or 157 billion dollars, by 2030. It also set the target for China's AI sector to become the world leader by 2030.

China's Ministry¹¹ of Science and Technology has unveiled the first group of four open AI platforms to spur the development of next generation AI technologies.

Leading voice intelligence developer iFlyTek along with tech giant Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent are among the group.

NPC deputy and founder¹² of iFlyTek, Liu Qingfeng, suggested the government should serve as a vital driver in the industry.

He noted¹³ that "the government should lay out more forward-looking plans towards basic research on relevant significant technologies, and attract more leading global scientists to get involved in the research of our national laboratory. It should also boost the application of newly-researched technology by establishing a demonstration¹⁴ area and fully¹⁵ promoting the technology after it becomes mature. "

In recent years, China has made massive plans to encourage technological¹⁶ innovation and boost its manufacturing capacity up the value chain. AI technology is a key part of those plans.

Another NPC Deputy Wang Liping is chairman of the Jiangsu-based Suqian Guangbao Holding Group. He said the development of AI technology will take a leap forward in the near future.

Wang said that "China's economy has entered into a very fast stage with many of its sectors¹⁷ leading the world. I believe AI technology will be a new growth driver to expand China's manufacturing capacity from big to strong."

Deputy Wang added that thanks to the government's guidance, artificial intelligence is set to become a very promising¹⁸ sector in China.

1 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

2 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

3 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

4 overpass   

n.天桥，立交桥

参考例句：

• I walked through an overpass over the road.我步行穿过那条公路上面的立交桥。
• We should take the overpass when crossing the road.我们过马路应走天桥。

5 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

6 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

10 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

15 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

16 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

17 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。