Shanghai gathering places metaverse firmly in the global spotlight

The metaverse took center stage at this year's World Artificial Intelligence Conference, or WAIC, in Shanghai, with exhibitions and forums giving participants a glimpse of life in the future.

The concept of the metaverse refers to a network of virtual places linked to a virtual universe, in which people can interact via various forms of virtual technology, including virtual reality and augmented reality.

Jayne Leung, vice-president and head of China at Meta, previously known as Facebook, said the metaverse will be a huge ecosystem that will require industry, enterprises and policy makers to achieve responsibly and build together.

Leung said a report on the metaverse published this year shows that if related technology is applied in 2022, the metaverse economy will contribute more than $3 trillion to global GDP, including more than $1 trillion for the Asia-Pacific region.

Integrating artificial intelligence, or AI, with culture, art, architecture and history, Chinese AI pioneer SenseTime showcased a new rendition of ancient buildings at Foguang Temple for WAIC visitors.

On the waterfront in Shanghai's Xuhui district, one of the two parallel session venues for WAIC, Sense-Time unveiled the metaverse world with its Foguang Temple exhibition.

Situated about 30 kilometers northeast of Wutai county, Shanxi province, Foguang Temple is the most magnificent Tang Dynasty palace-style building in existence. The temple is not only one of the oldest in the region, but also one of the oldest in China, according to researchers.

Inscriptions in the temple show it was originally built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and rebuilt in the late Tang Dynasty (618-907). Its wooden structure, statues, murals and inscriptions are regarded as the four treasures of Tang Dynasty Buddhist arts.

Luan Qing, general manager of digital culture and entertainment business at SenseTime's Digital World Group, said that thanks to SenseTime's AI reconstruction and digital twin technology, combined with AI coloring restoration for old photos, augmented reality and other technologies, visitors experienced the temple's east hall in high-precision detail.

Shanghai Jaka Robotics debuted its metaverse inclusive interactive system at WAIC, becoming the first collaborative robot, or cobot, enterprise to integrate metaverse technology with robot products.

Liu Bofeng, general manager of the production line at the company, said that by adopting augmented reality, AI and cloud computing technologies, the metaverse builds an immersive system for cobot operations.

Zhangjiang Science Hall, a new landmark building in Pudong New Area, was the other parallel session venue for WAIC.

It is home to a host of metaverse-related features such as a digital assets creation engine, 3D printer, paintings, a cafe robot, augmented reality signatures and photo-taking facilities, a 3D holographic tour guide and robotic equipment.

Interactive metaverse scenes allow visitors to experience this cutting-edge technology.

In July, Shanghai announced plans to promote new industries, including the metaverse, low-carbon enterprises and smart devices.

To achieve this goal, the city will include the metaverse as it transforms its economy, people's lives and digitalization.

Wu Jincheng, director of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization, said that by 2025, Shanghai plans to establish 10 leading globally competitive enterprises, 100 specialized companies, and the scale of the metaverse industry is expected to reach 350 billion yuan ($51 billion).

This year, WAIC was seen as the city's first attempt to explore the metaverse industry.