UNIDO promotes digital transformation at 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference
July 15, 2021
Through its Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) Shanghai, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has actively supported the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) by co-organizing and participating in various WAIC forums and events, including the 2021 WAIC AI Women Elite Forum; the 2021 WAIC International AI City Forum; the 2021 AI Bridging Digital Divide Forum; and the 2021 AIWIN Ceremony.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) has great potential to aid our collective drive to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development during the current Decade of Action”, said Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Managing Director of the UNIDO Directorate of Digitalization, Technology and Agri-business. “As part of the UN-wide AI initiative, UNIDO is leading the development of a set of guidelines specifically tailored to small and medium enterprises in developing countries”.
UNIDO further highlighted the importance of harnessing innovations from the business sector for digital and green transformation to foster sustainability and addressing existing inequalities, including through initiatives such as gender-inequality in industry in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR); ITPO Shanghai’s Investment Enabling Environment Analysis; and ITPO Beijing’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Model Cities initiative.
“We are launching the "UNIDOGlobalCall2021 at the International AI City Forum to call for innovative solutions in China”, said Xiaolei Zhao, Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai. “The Call aims at identifying innovative solutions in clean-tech and sustainable land management as Artificial Intelligence has a wide range of innovative application scenarios in the fields of decarbonizing growing urban environment; clean and efficient energy generation and storage; circular production and industrial processes; and sustainable land management”.
The 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference was held at the Shanghai Expo Center under the theme of “Intelligent Connectivity, Inspirational Cities” from 8 to 10 July 2021. Hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology, the WAIC was attended by over 1,200 participants who discussed global industry trends, groundbreaking technological frontiers and real-case scenarios.