The 2019 Zhejiang Lab Cup Global AI Competition is launched in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on July 16. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The 2019 Zhejiang Lab Cup Global AI Competition, which gathers the world's most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on July 16.

The AI competition, guided by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province and organized by Zhejiang Lab, targets students, researchers and entrepreneurs who are interested in AI theories and algorithms.

Pan Yunhe, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief AI scientist of Zhejiang Lab, addressed the opening ceremony, saying the world is ushering in a new era of AI development, and research into AI has been extending into the realms of natural science, engineering and human society. He said it is necessary to expand the influence of the AI sector by organizing this influential competition.

There will be two competitions, one for innovation and the other for technical challenges. The Innovation Competition will focus on images, videos, data and natural languages related to AI in order to drive forward innovation in basic algorithms. The other competition will feature technical challenges that require contestants to carry out textual storytelling based on their understanding of video.

Yuan Jixin, vice director of Zhejiang Lab, said the Innovation Competition is expected to inject new vitality into the combined development of AI and real economy, while the Technical Challenge Competition is expected to benefit technological development and practical applications.

The winners of the two competitions will be awarded cash prizes, talent incentives, project support, and entrepreneurship resources, according to the official website of the competition.

Registration is open until Aug 31. More information is available on the official website (aicup2019.zhejianglab.com).