The second phase of the 136th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, concluded its five-day exhibition on Sunday in south China's Guangzhou City.
Covering a total exhibition area of 515,000 square meters, the second phase of the Canton Fair focused on household goods, gifts and decorations, building materials and furniture from over 10,000 companies. Among the wide range of exhibits, intelligent and green products such as underwater treadmills and solar-powered HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems are favored by many buyers.
The Canton Fair has long served as a key platform for connecting enterprises with global buyers. A total of 673 trade promotion activities, including product launches and industry forums, have been held at the 136th fair, up over 25 percent from the previous edition held between April 15 and May 5 earlier this year.
The third phase of the 136th Canton Fair will kick off on Thursday and run for five days, displaying commodities across five categories including toys, maternity and baby products, household textiles, sports and leisure products.
Launched in 1957, the biannual Canton Fair is China's largest trade fair and widely seen as a barometer of the country's foreign trade. It takes place every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, typically featuring three phases per session.
136th Canton Fair 2nd phase concludes in Guangzhou
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly widespread, experts and scholars in the field are calling for a focus not only on exploring its potential for industrial upgrading and improving everyday life but also deeply examining the ethical challenges and regulatory demands it raises.
This call to action was made at the just-concluded 2024 World Laureates Association (WLA) Forum, which was held at the forum's permanent site in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area from Friday to Sunday.
Gong Ke, executive director of the China New Generation Institute of Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy, said that AI has certain values when working, stressing the urgent need to forge a global consensus against such a backdrop of worsening geopolitical conflicts.
"AI inherently carries its own values when generating content. Two years ago, UNESCO introduced its first-ever document on AI ethics, the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which laid the groundwork for governance. This document outlined four core value principles, from which 10 ethical principles were derived. In the face of severe geopolitical conflicts, how to form a global consensus at different forums such as those held in Shanghai, Britain, and South Korea poses a significant challenge," he said.
The UNESCO-introduced guideline, as cited by Gong, is applicable to all 194 member states of the UNESCO.
Given the rapid development and integration of AI into society, it is imperative to establish a unified global regulatory mechanism that transcends national, racial, and cultural divides, scientists said.
Such a framework will not only guide the ethical development of AI but also mitigate its potential threats, ensuring that AI contributes to society.
"What I've said many times is that if we want AI to be used for good, we need to stop using AI in weapon systems. And right now it's going to be used in weapons systems. So we need to find a way to cooperate more," said Martin Edward Hellman, winner of the 2015 Turing Award.
This year's forum, themed "Excellence in Science", brought together nearly 300 participants, including 11 Nobel laureates, over 50 renowned scientists from nearly 20 countries and regions, and around 100 promising young scientists.
The forum featured over 10 thematic conferences and off-site exchanges, welcoming government officials, university representatives, and members of research institutions, innovative companies, and venture capital firms.
This year's forum inaugurated the Physical Science Conference, complementing the existing Intelligence Science Conference and Life Science Conference as the forum's three primary conferences.
AI experts call for global consensus on ethics, regulation at WLA Forum
AI experts call for global consensus on ethics, regulation at WLA Forum
