[Photo/wicinternet.org]

On March 11, the World Internet Conference (WIC) Specialized Committee on Artificial Intelligence (SC on AI) held a seminar in Beijing on "Current Status, Opportunities, and Challenges of International AI Standards." More than 50 experts and scholars from international organizations, universities, think tanks, and leading enterprises in the global AI field participated either in-person or online.

The seminar started with a WIC representative introducing the SC on AI's work plan for 2025. Wei Kai, vice-chairman of the SC on AI and head of the standards promotion plan, briefed the participants about the framework and research methodology of the committee's report on global Al standards development, while John Higgins, chairman of the Global Digital Foundation, also shared forward-looking perspectives.

Experts from various organizations unanimously acknowledged the significance and value of conducting global AI standards research. They emphasized the need for enhanced AI interoperability and greater international cooperation on AI standards, expressing commitment to contributing to the report's development, case study collection, and future research efforts.

The second session focused on the overall progress of international AI standards development. Wang Yuntao, deputy chief engineer at the CAICT AI Research Institute, presented an overview of international AI standardization efforts. Since the Research Report and Consensus on Building Responsible Generative Artificial Intelligence was published in 2023, the WIC has established eight standardization directions including AI development platforms, application platforms, computing power infrastructure, and data lifecycle management etc. Through workshops and discussions, the WIC has been coordinating with its members to explore specific standardization pathways aligned with the consensus. Based on joint efforts of two seminars in February and May last year, 16 projects had been initiated across these eight domains, with participation from both WIC members and the international community.

During the exchange session, experts and scholars from organizations including State Grid, China Telecom, China Unicom, Zhijiang Laboratory, Changan Automobile, Dahua Technology, and the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences detailed their progress on international AI standardization. Representatives from other organizations including Evernote, AMD, Kingsoft Cloud, BRICS Future Networks Institute, International Telecommunication Union, Huawei, iFlytek, Lenovo, Honor, Nokia Bell, Enflame Technology, Shanghai AI Laboratory, Sangfor, British Standards Institution, and China Electronics Standardization Institute also contributed valuable insights to the discussion.

Representatives of the WIC SC on AI's standards promotion plan said they will continue to promote communication among members, AI enterprises, and research institutions through seminars and joint research. These efforts aim to contribute to the development and harmonization of international AI standards, ensuring the responsible and sustainable growth of AI technologies worldwide.