China techUnder pressure, Baidu and Tencent tout contributions to China
Jack Ma and Didi CEO Cheng Wei absent from this year's AI expo in Shanghai
A staff member at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in 2020: the annual event usually highlights the latest technological breakthroughs. © Reuters
NAOKI MATSUDA and SHUNSUKE TABETA, Nikkei staff writers
SHANGHAI -- The World Artificial Intelligence Conference has traditionally given leading Chinese technology companies a stage on which to reveal the latest advancements in the field. This year, however, companies seemed more intent on showing their contributions to society and the government.