The 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference opens in Shanghai, the largest in history

The conference, with the theme ‘Intelligent Era, Shared Progress for All,’ featured five main sections: forums, exhibitions, competitions and awards, application experiences, and innovation incubation, comprehensively showcasing the latest advancements in AI technology, industry trends, and global governance practices.

At the opening ceremony, a series of achievements were announced on-site.

During the event, the Global AI Innovation and Governance Center was officially established. According to reports, the center aims to bring together global expertise, focus on capacity building, promote intellectual collaboration, and provide abundant international public goods to countries around the world, with the goal of eventually forming a globally recognized framework and standards for governance.

At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Dr. Xiaosong, Global Executive Vice President of Siemens, Chairman, President, and CEO of Siemens China, delivered a keynote speech outlining the current development, future direction of industrial AI, and the symbiotic relationship between humans and AI.

According to Xiaosong, the wave of generative AI has propelled the world into an ‘accelerated mode.’ The world’s first industrial-oriented generative AI product, released by Siemens a year ago, has evolved from a ‘virtual assistant’ generating automated code into an ‘intelligent agent system’ that spans the entire industrial chain. This system can independently break down tasks, identify root causes, propose solutions, and issue operational instructions, all without excessive human intervention. Currently, over 200 companies and more than 150,000 engineers and production personnel worldwide are collaborating closely with it.

Facing the question of whether humans will be replaced by AI, Xiao Song believes it is ‘impossible to completely replace us.’ In his view, because humans possess empathy and curiosity, they can understand all things and explore the unknown. History has shown that every technological leap has expanded the boundaries of imagination and productivity. Machines have freed humans from labor, and humans have also unleashed their potential to create a new civilization. Today, with humans intersecting with artificial intelligence, the coordinates of humans and machines will shift once again, driving human wisdom to ‘leap’ forward once more.