A news conference of 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit held in Beijing, Oct 24, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit will be held from Nov 19 to 22 in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang province, according to a news conference on Thursday.

Having the theme "Embracing a People-Centered and AI-for-Good Digital Future - Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," this year's summit focuses on the technology and industrial development of artificial intelligence and its impact on human society and economy, responding to concerns about the development of governance in the sphere of artificial intelligence.

The upcoming WIC Wuzhen Summit will host 24 sub-forums on topics, such as the Global Development Initiative, digital economy, open-source ecosystem development, data governance, artificial intelligence technology innovation and governance and youth and digital future.

AI technology will be a highlight at this year's Light of Internet Expo, which will display AI core technologies, the latest application achievements of AI and cutting-edge technologies from some well-known enterprises. Moreover, the expo will feature an AI experience zone to create a tangible "intelligent world" scenario, allowing visitors to deeply feel that the future is here.

In addition to the original activities, including the opening ceremony, main forum, 24 sub-forums, the Light of Internet Expo, the Straight to Wuzhen Competition, the Global Youth Leadership Program, the release of Practice Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace and the World Internet Conference Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology, the WIC Wuzhen Summit will introduce and hold four new programs and activities.

A new award will be established to recognize individuals and enterprises that have made outstanding contributions in the field of global internet-related areas.

A committee will be set up as a platform to promote AI technology, empowering various industries to achieve sustainable development.

A think tank cooperation program will be launched to cover professional directions, such as the internet, artificial intelligence, big data, communication and cloud computing, it will also help cover other sectors, for example, research fields like the digital economy, network culture, international governance of cyberspace and network security.

A research institution focusing on AI technologies, data, security and emergency, and cross-border e-commerce will be established to empower the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises worldwide and promote the development of the digital economy. Currently, students from more than 30 countries and regions have registered.

The WIC Wuzhen Summit now has over 170 members from over 30 countries and regions, an increase of over 40 members from last year.

Currently, the members such as the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, IBM, Cisco, Nokia, Alibaba, and smartphone maker Honor have confirmed their participation in this year's summit.