The World Internet Conference (WIC) Nishan Dialogue on Digital Civilization is taking place with a grand opening ceremony in Qufu, Jining, Shandong province on June 26.

This specialized gathering, organized by the WIC International Organization, carries the theme "The Age of AI: Building a Digital World of Exchanges, Mutual Learning, and Inclusiveness".

The Nishan Dialogue features a range of activities, including a main forum, the launch of the WIC's AI Charity Action Plan, and a discussion session for member representatives.

The main forum delves into topics such as "Building Safe and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence" and "Empowering Various Industries with Artificial Intelligence". The aim is to explore the historical and cultural values in the digital era, enhance international cultural exchanges and cooperation, promote the development of AI technology, and contribute to the advancement of human civilization.

The event, hosted by the WIC and organized by the People's Government of Shandong province, has attracted representatives from esteemed international organizations such as UNESCO, the Global System for Mobile communications Association (GSMA), and the European Committee for Standardization.

About 400 representatives from politics, business, academia, and research worldwide are participating in both offline and online dialogue.

During the conference, Walter Fumy, chairman of the European Committee for Standardization, emphasized the significance of network security in achieving trustworthy AI in his speech on "Building Safe and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence".

Fumy also highlighted the importance of effective cooperation and collaboration to avoid duplication of work and make the most of limited resources and experts in the fields of AI, network security, and data protection.

Li Yanhong, chief executive officer (CEO) of Baidu, said the key to formulating a new international competitive strategy lies in the development of native AI applications and their impact on productivity, rather than the number of large models a country possesses.

Securing a place in the competition will enable China to strengthen its digital industry and witness significant growth in the scale of its digital economy, Li added.