Shanghai mayor and MIT president discuss AI development in the city

Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong met L. Rafael Reif, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his delegation on April 23.

Ying said artificial intelligence is a cornerstone for a new round of the city’s technological development. The city has some advantages in AI development, such as a solid industrial base, an aggregation of talents and massive resources. The city has also introduced a series of preferential policies to support the industry and to build itself into a magnet for the industry’s talents as well as a technology and innovation center.

The city will rev up the aggregation effect for the AI talents and companies and promote the exchange and cooperation among the government, universities, research institutes and enterprises.

It’s the city’s pleasure to see MIT set up its AI alliance with SenseTime and it welcomes MIT and other world-renowned universities and institutes to come to the city to start innovation businesses here, said the mayor. The city will work hard to create a better environment for the AI industry.

Reif said he’s impressed by Shanghai’s investment in the AI industry, which will have a profound influence in future. It’s visionary of the city to develop the AI industry and MIT is willing to strengthen the cooperation and exchanges with Shanghai to advance AI’s application and development.