Jia Suotang (left), president of Shanxi University, presents a letter of appointment to Li Yanhong on July 11. Li was appointed as the honorary dean of the Big Data Academy and the Research Institute of Big Data Science and Industry at Shanxi University. [Photo/sxrb.com]

Li Yanhong, CEO of Baidu Inc, a Chinese internet technology giant, visited Shanxi University on July 11, to report on artificial Intelligence (AI) and development trends in internet technology.

Li revealed the latest developments and current status of AI and its applications in daily life, such as facial recognition, after being appointed as the honorary dean of the Big Data Academy and the Research Institute of Big Data Science and Industry at Shanxi University.

"IT has powered global economic growth over the past 40 years and the search engine is the cornerstone of IT innovation; still, the internet is just an 'appetizer' and AI is the 'main course'," Li said.

Li Yanhong, chairman of Baidu Inc, delivers a report on AI at Shanxi University on July 11. [Photo/sxrb.com]

He expressed his opinion that the internet helps improve efficiency while AI can make the impossible possible. The latter is more fundamental than the former in changing society, he claimed.

Shanxi has been changing its role from a province rich in energy to a province with an economy centered on big data in recent years. As a Shanxi-born entrepreneur and a leader in the domestic AI field, Li Yanhong's visit to Shanxi and his new appointment at Shanxi University means that more universities and colleges in Shanxi are focusing on AI research and delivering professional training in the field.

Next, Baidu Inc will further the partnerships with Shanxi colleges and companies in applying AI to industries including transport, logistics, manufacturing and tourism.