AI technologies take center stage at Digital China Summit in Fuzhou

China

AI technologies take center stage at Digital China Summit in Fuzhou

2025-05-03 17:13 Last Updated At：23:27

The two-day 8th Digital China Summit, which concluded on Wednesday in Fuzhou City of east China's Fujian Province, showcased the latest advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, offering a glimpse into the future of daily life.

With an experience area of 56,000-square-meter that will remain open until May 4, the summit aimed to highlight China's strides in digital transformation and the expansion of its digital economy.

One of the most captivating exhibits at the event is an AI-powered household robot, which is poised to become a crucial part of everyday life in the near future.

Designed to take on various household chores, such as sorting out items, the robot is powered by an advanced "embodied AI model" trained with data from hundreds of thousands of real-world interactions.

"We are demonstrating how the robot organizes things in a kitchen. The robot is now distinguishing between fruits, vegetables, and other items. Behind the robot is our embodied AI large language model, which has been trained with data from hundreds of thousands of real-world interactions," explained Zhang Jian, an exhibitor.

In addition to the home assistant robot, the summit featured a collection of AI-powered robotic dogs. These robots are designed for a range of functions -- some patrol forests for disaster prevention, while others serve as community patrollers to assist with local governance.

A particularly unique model is a six-legged robot dog, built to navigate a variety of terrains, making it far more versatile than traditional four-legged models.

"The robot's main function is to make up for some shortcomings in the daily patrol work of grid-based community workers, such as reaching areas that are inaccessible to humans or dangerous sites, like fire scenes," said Dong Yating, another exhibitor.

The fusion of AI with tourism and cultural consumption is also rapidly accelerating. Several exhibitors presented AI-driven travel assistants, which use digital human avatars infused with local cultural elements. These AI assistants offer personalized services such as sightseeing recommendations and route planning for tourists.

"In the future, we will deploy these AI-based digital humans at popular tourist attractions or museums, incorporating them into augmented reality (AR) glasses. Visitors can have a personalized travel companion by simply wearing the glasses," said Xu Huimin, an exhibitor.

With AI continuing to evolve, the event offered a clear vision of how these innovations are set to change the way people live, work, and explore the world.

Iranians in Türkiye return home, fearing for their families amid unrest in Iran

Some Iranians in Türkiye are crossing back over the border, driven by worry and desperation, as a nationwide communications blackout in Iran has left them cut off from their loved ones.

Protests have erupted in many Iranian cities since Dec. 28. They initially began with Tehran bazaar merchants demonstrating against the sharp devaluation of the national currency rial, and soaring inflation, before spreading to other cities. The unrest has led to casualties among both security forces and civilians.

At the Turkish-Iranian border, many are returning with no certainty about what awaits them, filled instead with questions and growing fear for those on the other side of the border.

"I went to Van yesterday for internet. I urgently needed to use the internet. I got it done. Now I'm heading straight back. There are protests everywhere. We can't get any news. We can't communicate with our families. And it's not just me, there are many Iranians outside the country who can't reach their families," said Feriste, an Iranian citizen.

With communications blacked out across Iran, those outside the country feel powerless to check on the situation back home. For some, this silence has prompted them to return across the border, even as tensions continue to rise.

"We can't get any news. There is no internet. Everything is shut down. I want to search. I want to find out. I want to see my brother. I'm going to see my family," said Husnu, an Iranian citizen.

"I work in Türkiye, and I have no news from Iran at all. I'm going back because I'm worried about my family. It's been days since I last heard from them, and because I'm worried, I'm returning to Iran now. Of course, we are concerned about our safety. We don't know what awaits us there," said another Iranian.

With protests escalating and government blackouts still in place, many Iranians are caught between staying in safety abroad and risking everything to reconnect with their families.

"We had to come to Türkiye because we couldn't reach our families. Schools were closed already. All official institutions were shut down. We have no information about other cities either, because there is no communication network there. There is no television, no internet. We can't even check Twitter," said Nazlican, another Iranian citizen.