CCG's opening roundtable at the 25th China Overseas Scholar Innovation Summit, Dalian
Big data, artificial intelligence, and green energy: State Council Counselors and chief scientist outline opportunities in new productive forces
As a national-level annual event for talent recruitment and intelligence introduction, the China Overseas Scholar Innovation Summit has been successfully held in Dalian for 25 consecutive sessions.
According to the local government: "Through China Overseas Scholar Innovation Summit, more than 7,000 overseas returnees have rooted themselves in Dalian, establishing nearly 5,000 enterprises and creating over 100,000 jobs. The China Overseas Scholar Innovation Summit has become an important carrier for implementing the strategy of strengthening the nation with talents, an important brand for attracting high-end overseas talents, a key platform for gathering global innovation and entrepreneurship resources, and a vital force in helping Dalian take the lead in comprehensive revitalization.”
CCG Secretary-General Mabel Lu Miao moderated the opening roundtable organized by the Center for China and Globalization (CCG).
Below are the speeches given by three panelists at the roundtable, including:
Shi Yong, Counselor (Scientific Advisor in Big Data) of the State Council and Director of the Research Center on Fictitious Economy & Data Science (FEDS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Tang Min, former Counselor of the State Council and former Deputy Secretary-General of the China Development Research Foundation, part of the Development Research Centre at the State Council
Jin Anjun, Chief Scientist of the Hua-neng Clean Energy Research Institute, China Huaneng Group
They spoke on big data, artificial intelligence, and green energy, respectively.
Shi Yong
Thank you, moderator. Today is a special day for me as it feels like coming home. I attended the Dalian Institute of Technology, now Dalian University of Technology, in 1983. The president is here today as well. I was one of China's first MBA students. In 1985, I went to the United States to pursue a publicly funded Ph.D. My field of study was what we now call big data; back then, it was referred to as data analysis. By the early 1990s, it evolved to data mining, then data warehousing, and by 2012, it was collectively termed big data.
After returning to China, we organized the Xiangshan Conference. At the 2013 Xiangshan Conference, we highlighted that big data is a new strategic element of the digital age, a crucial driver of innovation, and a transformative force for the mode of production and lifestyles. Our definition significantly influenced the Chinese leaders.
We also drafted reports advocating for a national big data strategy. The first outcome was the Big Data Guideline, followed by the Big Data Plan. Based on big data, intelligent algorithms, and computing platforms, the digital economy integrates these elements into digital technology, with artificial intelligence serving as a transformative component that reshapes the economic structure. Today's large language models are also part of artificial intelligence, underscoring the importance of big data.
China is a big player but not a powerful player in big data. Its data lacks synergy and integration, hindering its effectiveness. This issue is evident in current large language models, where high-quality data is extremely scarce. To improve the Chinese economy, it is essential to excel in big data, focusing on its three elements—data, algorithms, and computing power. Although China lags behind the United States in data and computing power, it has the potential to improve.
Currently, China's National Data Administration is addressing these challenges. I believe the future development of new productive forces must be based on high-quality big data. Otherwise, it will be challenging to achieve the goals set by President Xi: the first being technological innovation, and the second being green productivity. Without big data, it's like cooking without rice; without algorithms, we can't create value; without computing power, we can't carry out activities. Therefore, the importance of big data cannot be overstated. I will now yield the floor to the next speaker to discuss new productive forces. For me, big data is an essential condition for new productive forces. Thank you, everyone.
Tang Min
New productive forces is a concept proposed by General Secretary Xi during his visit to Northeast China, specifically Heilongjiang, in September last year. New productive forces are driven by innovation, breaking away from traditional growth models, and using high technology, high efficiency, and high quality to promote the next stage of development. Therefore, new productive forces are a comprehensive guiding principle that applies not only to high-tech fields but also to the upgrading of traditional industries, as emphasized by President Xi during this year's "Two Sessions."
New productive forces consist of three parts: upgrading traditional industries, expanding emerging industries, and nurturing future industries. Currently, the greatest opportunity in these innovation-led new productive forces lies in the field of artificial intelligence, particularly generative artificial intelligence. Two days ago, I attended the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, where SenseTime announced "Daily New 5.5," which is on par with OpenAI's GPT-4o in the United States in terms of effectiveness. China has caught up with the world's most cutting-edge technology so quickly. The current challenge is how to rapidly integrate these technologies with China's vertical industries, which presents enormous opportunities. The current slogan is that all industries should be redone with generative artificial intelligence, similar to how every industry was reinvented with the internet in the 1990s and later with mobile internet, presenting vast opportunities.
Yesterday, I met with several young people who have just returned from studying in the UK and the U.S. They are installing cameras in nursing homes and using artificial intelligence to assess whether the elderly are in any danger, monitoring their behavior to evaluate risks. Secondly, they assess the adequacy of care provided, determining whether the care is optimal for the elderly, all through artificial intelligence. This approach can significantly improve the eldercare industry. I am currently organizing a group of young people to use generative artificial intelligence and digital avatars to address the needs of over 60 million left-behind children and more than 100 million elderly people living alone. The children of these elderly people, also the parents of these left-behind children, have gone out to work, leaving their family behind. Creating digital avatars for parents and children can provide 24-hour companionship for children's growth, homework assistance, and tutoring, and enable elderly people to chat with their families. The technology is already available; the key now is to integrate it quickly.
For Dalian, Northeast China, and China as a whole, generative artificial intelligence offers significant opportunities. Everything needs to be redone, and it is crucial to seize this moment to cultivate and promote talent. Everyone is just beginning to learn about this field. While artificial intelligence like GPT may require highly specialized talent, its application is something where everyone starts on an equal footing. It is important to quickly promote and integrate it with various industries, particularly vertical industries, where there are many opportunities for generative artificial intelligence. This is how China can innovate in new quality productivity at this critical moment: using artificial intelligence and big data to integrate with its industries. This way, China's artificial intelligence can reach the forefront of the world, and its industries can quickly reap the benefits of artificial intelligence. This requires all of us to work together. Thank you.
Jin Anjun
Ladies and gentlemen, experts, and friends in Dalian, good morning. Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts on international cooperation in the new energy sector.
I went abroad in 1987 and have focused on the new energy industry for over 20 years. After returning to China, I joined China Huaneng Group as one of the first national "Thousand Talents Plan" recruits.
The world currently faces three major challenges in the energy sector: energy sustainability, environmental protection, and climate change. Globally, countries are seeking effective ways to address these issues through international cooperation, such as China-Europe, China-U.S. partnerships, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). I will briefly discuss a couple of examples later to illustrate the close cooperation.
Despite current challenges, the world continues to engage in significant interactions in the new energy value chain and green development. The COP28 debate concluded six months ago, reaching a global consensus on carbon neutrality and peak carbon goals. China and the EU share a common understanding of carbon neutrality. Currently, carbon emissions are decreasing yearly, and China is striving to reach peak carbon emissions as soon as possible. Peak carbon refers to the point at which economic activities produce the maximum amount of carbon emissions, after which they will gradually decrease. China's 3060 goal has already made a significant international impact.
China and the U.S. have the highest carbon emissions in economic activities. China and the EU have signed a series of agreements in the new energy sector, particularly concerning standards verification. Europe's green development is booming, with green energy widely applied across European countries. Their core advantages include the electric vehicle value chain, key new energy technologies, battery development, and advanced solar cells. China holds significant advantages in new energy planning, especially in photovoltaic and wind energy sectors. China's manufacturing and installed capacity lead globally, achieving remarkable results over the past 20 years.
Let's take a look at the Belt and Road Initiative. BRI projects have received active responses from over 100 countries and international organizations. The BRI hydrogen energy strategy is particularly important. BRI officially proposed the "Green Silk Road," emphasizing new energy development and technological innovation. Promoting industrial structure and energy transition upgrades in participating countries can achieve high-quality economic development. Energy is the foundation for these achievements, and developing new energy sources can drive rapid socio-economic growth and high-quality development. The broad application of hardware and software can meet demands for a high-quality life, high-quality industry, and a better living environment.
There are many directions for energy innovation. China Huaneng Group has significant wind and photovoltaic power installations, with national wind and solar power generation surpassing 1 trillion kilowatt-hours. Energy storage is also crucial, along with ocean and nuclear energy. Today's conference theme also covers hydrogen energy. Green hydrogen is vital for sustainable development and can significantly address the current climate crisis if successful.
My team at Huaneng has successfully innovated many products, including photovoltaics and solar thermal energy. In 2012, we installed a 50-kilowatt rooftop photovoltaic system in Beijing Future Science City, and now we are installing entire lines. We believe the development of new energy, energy storage, and green hydrogen will significantly contribute to China's and the world's efforts in combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. My latest work focuses on the basic research in power generation costs, alongside entrepreneurial ventures.
Finally, I want to echo Counselor Tang's theme of new productive forces, which is crucial for leading this stage of social development and creativity. New productive forces involve technological innovation, with knowledge as the primary productive force. It emphasizes new human resources, especially high-quality innovative talents, who play a significant role in advancing green energy applications.
In the energy field, it is essential to build not only hardware facilities but also promote software upgrades. The power industry must advance from traditional energy to an upgraded version. The traditional grid 100 years ago was the first version; the use of distributed generation in new energy is the second version. Now is the time to move to the smart internet era and big data era, using a sustainable energy system to make electricity usage intelligent—this is the third version, the smart grids. Ultimately, this will help achieve peak carbon.
Thank you very much.