Top tech conference eyes AI models

The 2023 Apsara Conference commenced in Hangzhou on Oct 31, drawing tens of thousands of developers worldwide.

This year's theme is once again "computing for the value beyond calculation", echoing the theme from the 2015 edition, when cloud computing supported innovative advancements in the mobile internet. Today, the focus is on nurturing innovation and dreams for developers in the era of AI.

Over the past 14 years, over 700,000 industry professionals and developers from more than 70 countries have participated in the Apsara Conference. This year, participants hail from 44 nations and territories around the world.

The centerpiece of the conference is AI entrepreneurs, with over half of China's large-scale model enterprises participating. Wang Xiaochuan, founder and CEO of Baichuan AI, took the stage to share his experiences, while Baichuan AI, established just half a year ago, released seven large-scale models, surpassing industry standards in research and development speed.

Wang attributed the company's success to cloud computing, which facilitated monthly iterations for Baichuan's large models.

The conference has also set up three halls focusing on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and industrial innovation. Nearly 240 companies in the cloud computing industry showcased over 3,000 technical products. The large AI models continued to steal the limelight in each hall.

For instance, revolving around Alibaba's Turing Labs, the large language model Tongyi Qianwen unveiled a series of applications in text, images, reading, and interaction scenarios, offering specialized AI assistants tailored for legal, financial, and urban governance.

Attendees also experienced scenarios featuring lifelike digital figures and AI robots. Young Li Bai, a collaboration between China Media Group and Alibaba Cloud, brought the respectable poet to life, eloquently reciting poems and sharing intriguing tales of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).