Under pressure, Baidu and Tencent tout contributions to China

Jack Ma and Didi CEO Cheng Wei absent from this year's AI expo in Shanghai

20210708N WAIC staff

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.

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