The Chinese Academy of Sciences Academicians Forum on the Healthy Development and Empowerment of Large Models/AIGC Held in Nanjing
The 155th Frontier Forum of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Academicians — “The Healthy Development and Empowerment of Large Models/AIGC” was held in Nanjing from January 6 to 7, 2024. The forum was organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Academicians, hosted by the Academic and Publishing Work Committee and the Standing Committee of the Information Technology Science Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, co-organized by Nanjing University, Southeast University, and the publisher “Science in China”, with Academicians Lu Jian and Huang Ru, along with Academician Wang Jian from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, jointly serving as forum chairs.
Academician Bao Xinhai, Director of the Academic and Publishing Work Committee, attended the forum along with Zhou Dejin from the Work Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Academicians, Ren Youqun from the Ministry of Education’s Teacher Work Department, Academician Huang Ru from Southeast University, and Xu Guanghui from the Jiangsu Science and Technology Department, who delivered opening remarks.
Six academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences—including Bao Xinhai, Lu Jian, Huang Ru, Tan Tieniu, E Weinan, and Xu Zongben—two academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Gao Wen and Yang Shanlin, and nearly 300 experts from 87 universities, research institutes, and companies (including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing University, Southeast University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, iFlytek, Huawei, Alibaba, Xiaomi, Midea, and Geely Automobile Research Institute) attended the forum, with more than half being young scientists under 45.
The forum comprised two sessions: keynote presentations and special topic reports. In the keynote session, Academician Tan Tieniu discussed trends in generative AI; Academician Gao Wen introduced the Pengcheng Brain pre-trained large model platform and open-source collaborations; Academician Yang Shanlin presented AIGC and its scientific foundations; Academician E Weinan explained the basics of deep learning; Academician Xu Zongben discussed mathematical research on large models; Professor Guo Yike, an Academician of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK) and Vice-Chancellor of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, addressed the intrinsic scientific issues of large models; and AI experts from iFlytek, Huawei, and Alibaba showcased applications and innovative practices of large models.
In the special topic session, experts presented reports on eight topics: “Frontier and Collaborative Innovation in the Development of Large Models/AIGC”, “Empowering Technological Development with Large Models/AIGC”, “Boosting the Real Economy with Large Models/AIGC”, “Facilitating Educational Transformation with Large Models/AIGC”, “Large Models/AIGC and Intelligent Basic Software”, “Large Models/AIGC, Computing Infrastructure, and Chip Technology”, “Safety, Controllability, Privacy Protection, and Low-cost Deployment of Large Models/AIGC”, and “Governance and Management of Large Models/AIGC”. Following the reports, experts engaged in roundtable discussions on these topics.
After two days of discussions, the experts explored key technologies and challenges in the development of large models and AI, application scenarios, industrial empowerment, and legal and ethical risks, reaching some preliminary consensus. The forum outcomes will be released in the form of briefings and special reports.