WIPO China：Embracing a People-Centered and AI-for-Good Digital Future

Wuzhen, November 20 - The 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit opened grandly. With the theme of "Embracing a People-Centered and AI-for-Good Digital Future -- Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," the Summit is hosted by the World Internet Conference，and supported the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Chinese President Xi Jinping extended congratulations via video to the Summit. Noting that a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation is rapidly advancing, Xi urged efforts to embrace the digital, internet-based and smart development trends. He called for accelerating innovative, safe and inclusive growth in cyberspace, and jointly striving for a brighter "digital future." China is willing to work with countries around the world to take historical initiative in information revolution, and jointly build a community with a shared future in cyberspace, to make the internet better benefit the people and the world.

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang attended the Opening Ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. He stressed the need for the international community to jointly deal with problems such as the digital divide and a grave cybersecurity situation, and to build a better digital future. China has been sharing the opportunities of modernization with countries around the world and injecting strong impetus into global modernization.

The Opening Ceremony featured speeches by Vice President Renato Florentino Pineda of Honduras, Vice President Mutale Nalumango of Zambia, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long of Viet Nam, Party Secretary and Governor Wang Hao of Zhejiang Province, Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, CEO John Hoffman of GSMA, and Founder, Chairman and CEO Lei Jun of Xiaomi Group. Chair Zhuang Rongwen of the World Internet Conference hosted the Ceremony. The "World Internet Conference Distinguished Contribution Award" is presented at the Ceremony.

Forum on Responsible Development and Application of AI

On November 21, the Forum on Responsible Development and Application of AI was held in Wuzhen, co-hosted by WIPO, People's Daily Online, Cyber Security Association of China, and DAS-Security.

Ms. Liu Hua, Director of the WIPO Office in China, attended and addressed the Forum. She pointed out that the world is experiencing unprecedented changes with frontier technologies being a core variable driving these changes. AI development shows two major trends: the deep integration with industries, promoting the development of smart cities, intelligent manufacturing and smart healthcare; and the deep integration with basic scientific research, as evidenced by the 2024 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry.

Liu Hua emphasized that the rapid development of AI brings unprecedented challenges to the intellectual property system. In the patent field, there are widespread debates over whether AI-assisted inventions can receive patent protection and whether AI systems can be recognized as inventors. In the copyright field, there are significant differences among countries in their practices regarding the copyrightability of AI-generated content. To address these challenges, WIPO plays a vital role to promote the sustainable and inclusive development of AI through norm-setting, information and best practices sharing, and enhanced data security and safety.

The Forum gathered top experts from home and abroad to discuss key issues in AI development and application, including developing people-centered AI, establishing order and guidelines for a world where physical and digital realms integrate, translating AI governance principles into practical applications, and creating an interoperable framework of AI governance.