AI Photo: VCG

China and the UN are co-hosting a major workshop on artificial intelligence (AI) and capacity building from Tuesday to Friday in Shanghai. The event welcomed representatives from nearly 40 nations as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who attended the opening ceremony.

The workshop is set to deepen understanding among representatives from the Global South of trends and developments in AI technology, aimed at bridging the global digital divide.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu delivered a video speech at the opening, advocating enhanced AI capacity building and promoting equitable and inclusive global governance. 

The workshop is a follow-up to a UN General Assembly resolution, initiated by China in July, to bolster international cooperation on AI capacity building. 

Liu Gang, chief economist at the Chinese Institute of New Generation AI Development Strategies, emphasized that AI could lead to a new phase of global developmental imbalances, particularly accentuating the disparities between developed and developing countries.

Building AI capacity requires a complex system of technology including computational power, networks and human talent. These are all critical components of the AI infrastructure in developed countries, but most developing countries lack the technical capacity to cultivate AI technology, Liu explained.

China's commitment to diffusing AI technology to developing countries represents a significant step toward ensuring their right to development, Liu added.

The Global Times Institute recently conducted a survey about the Belt and Road Initiative in 13 countries, which revealed a keen interest in prioritizing advanced information technology. 

About 50 percent of the respondents expressed a desire for their countries to focus on communication technology and information security, according to the survey.