SFC Markets and Finance | Zhongguancun Forum 2024 kicked off, experts around the world attended

南方财经全媒体记者 缴翼飞 杨清清 杨雨莱 北京、广州报道

The 2024 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) kicked off on April 25th in Beijing and will focus on cutting-edge fields from artificial intelligence, life sciences to new materials during the five-day session. With the theme of "Innovating for a Better World", the forum has assembled participants from over 100 countries and regions, with more than half of its speakers coming from abroad. For more details, let’s hear from SFC reporter Jiao Yifei on the scene.

Jiao Yifei: I'm now at the Zhongguancun Forum 2024. In the next five days, top experts, scholars and entrepreneurs around the world in the field of science and technology innovation will gather here, to discuss the development trend of large model of AI, embodied intelligence, quantum information, photon computing and brain-computer interface and more of the international frontier technologies. The International Technology Trade Fair at ZGC Forum will introduce more than 3,000 high-level transnational technology transfer projects. We learned from the conference that the added value of China's strategic emerging industries now accounts for more than 13% of GDP, which is a full embodiment of the industrialization of scientific innovation. It is believed that the various conferences will inject new vitality into global scientific and technological cooperation and explore innovative solutions for building a better world. 

It is worth mentioning that today is also the opening day of the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. In the morning, Lei Jun appeared at exhibition, attended the Xiaomi car launch conference, and then rushed to the Zhongguancun Forum 2024, more than 20 kilometers away. Talking about Xiaomi cars, Lei Jun shared that intelligent electric vehicles have developed for 10 years, the first half is electric, the second half is intelligent. The development of intelligent car has just started. In Lei Jun's view, intelligence is the soul of the car, and intelligence is also a huge advantage of Zhongguancun, which is endowing more courage with Xiaomi to enter the automotive industry. 

During today’s conference, international scientists and experts from different fields also shared their insights with SFC reporter on the importance of the openness for sharing the scientific innovation and technology globally as what Zhongguancun Forum did for the world.

Quarraisha Abdool Karim, President-Elect of The World Academy of Sciences

Quarraisha Abdool Karim: I've been a scientist for about 40 years, and for about 35 years, I've done HIV research. And in HIV, I have seen how from where I started 35 years ago to where we are now is absolutely mind-boggling. I'll give you a very specific example.

Our ability to sequence the virus, HIV or any other virus, didn't exist 35 years ago. Today, we have that ability in the face of SARS and COVID-19. We were able to move what we learned about HIV and other viruses to this new virus. And within days, we had diagnostics available. And so that's one example of where science has really evolved. 

But we had known of many more examples of how science evolves. And there was a point, for example, that was shared this morning around the discovery of Penicillin.It was by accident we did. And then from accidents, we went to some of the tools that we had that allowed us to do things in a particular way. It took very long, very slow.

And then today, with some of the digital technology and advances we see with artificial intelligence, we're able to take and do things that used to take months and years to do within days, if not hours. And that, I think, gives you some idea of how science has evolved. And I think we are moving to a point where, instead of just taking a shot in the dark and hoping it works. And I can tell you, I've done that for many years. Nine times out of 10, my experiments fail. 

But now I have better ways of actually proving my chances of doing an experiment and the outcome being positive. And that comes from combining these large language models and the databases we have in terms of machine learning and generative AI, it's almost like I got a permanent research assistant with me available 24 hours. 

And I think if you speak to many scientists, that's what they say. They have a co-pilot, a navigator with them that's really accelerating it. And I think we'll see the changes. We already living through some of those changes where a lot of our lives are on our phones. But in terms of medicine, where I work in biological sciences, we really gonna see things transform where we move from like doing one thing, like one size fits all approach to a more bespoke approach that's based on evidence that comes from use. So it’s just the same thing for everybody. And maybe it'll work for some people, maybe it won't work for other people, but it will be much more precise.

But the challenge is that we have large inequalities in the world within countries and between countries, and that's a very important foundation. We gotta fix those inequalities to ensure that all of humanity benefits and moves forward no matter where you are in the world. And this is the dream and the possibility that I think science brings to envisage a world where everyone is living their best life and doing the best they can to move us forward and to even higher heights.

Ana María Cetto, Professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico

Ana María Cetto: At the forum this morning, it was the the combination of it, (which) was very interesting and impressive for me. Of course, there were several talks that I was especially interested in listening to because I learned about the big investment that the country's making especially in technology and innovation.

The combination and the balance of the different talks, sounds very appropriate. For instance, the fact that you invited the Stephen Perry, who talked about the history of China and his more personal experience, his family experience, so that was very good to counterbalance all this high tech and innovation. And that is very important because we cannot forget the human side.

In the field that brought me here, which is not my field of specialty, because I work in the foundations of quantum physics. But I did not come here because of the foundations of quantum physics. I came here because I also work in international cooperation very much. What I found especially challenging is that all the innovation truly works for the benefit of everybody. It is a promise. Everybody says that. But in practice, it's not so easily (to be) done. Because there are always countries that do not invest so much, that do not have the means to invest. And that if we are not careful, they will be left behind more and more. So I see the risk of increasing gaps. But now we have to make sure that all the innovation will be indeed shared, so that it is for the benefit of all humankind, and of course also for the environment.

I think well (the forum) is a showcase for us. It is a showcase (for people) coming from abroad. Because we learned many interesting things about what is happening here. And we hear of some very impressive talks, etc. We could also visit some of the high-tech centers. That's for us, a showcase. But I see the role of the forum rather as the space where you can invite others and establish real cooperation, so that we learn from each other. Everybody has something to learn, something to share. You receive more when you share. So I see this is an important role for the forum.

I see that in the last 20 or 30 years, China has opened itself very much in science. You could hardly know about the Chinese scientists 20 or 30 years ago. While now you see prominent Chinese scientists almost everywhere and doing very good science and publishing, etc. That is a big change.

Anthony Bisseling, International Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering 

Anthony Bisseling: For example, by creating the CSC program, the Chinese Science Council program by having exchange. I think if I look backwards now, the first person that came with the program in 1991, he is now the director of your best institute in plant science. There are several of the students that came are now full professor in institutes here. So I think the cooperation is a very effective in training people that can take job. But on the other hand, it's also a fantastic platform for collaborations afterwards.

To have collaborations and to create developments, such an exchange program is an example of me being in an academic world. I think this is profitable for me.  It's nice to interact. It's profitable for China, especially if they go back. And it's profitable for the collaborations afterward.

（市场有风险，投资需谨慎。本节目嘉宾意见仅代表本人观点。）

策划：于晓娜    

监制：施诗

责任编辑：李依农

记者： 缴翼飞 杨清清 杨雨莱

制作：蔡于恬 李群

新媒体统筹：丁青云 曾婷芳 赖禧 曾昭发

海外运营监制: 黄燕淑

海外运营内容统筹: 黄子豪

海外运营编辑：庄欢 吴婉婕 龙李华 张伟韬

出品：南方财经全媒体集团