Since the launch of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, the general artificial intelligence represented by the cognitive grand model has initiated a global trend, igniting the enthusiasm for this emerging technology.

From August 15 to August 25, the National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Intelligence, a collaborative effort between the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and iFlytek Co., Ltd, held the first iFlytek Spark Camp. This event brought together 115 students specializing in artificial intelligence from 24 universities across China, including USTC, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Shanghai Jiaotong University. Nineteen students of USTC participated in the camp. The activity was intended to nurture leading talents in the field of general artificial intelligence and enhance industry-academia-research innovation cooperation.

Group photo of the first iFlytek Spark Camp participants. (Image by USTC)

Structured around both theoretical knowledge and practical application in real-world scenarios, the camp featured experts lectures and students’ projects. The lectures covered a wide range of topics, including the technology progress and typical applications of intelligent voice and cognitive intelligence, technology principle of large learning models, evaluation system and prompt design skills. Student found inspiration in their interaction with experts and teachers.

Lectures on cutting-edge AI technology. (Image by USTC)

At the same time, the lab designed four tracks for real scenes, namely AI+ education, AI+ office, AI+ assistant, and AI+ interaction. It was an opportunity and a challenge for all students in the camp to fully demonstrate their talents, by collaborating in groups to build systems, design posters, organize the road show, display products, and giving an open reply. At the end, the team led by XIONG Rongkang, a postgraduate of the Big Data College at USTC, won the honor of the 2023 IFLYTEK Spark Camp annual champion.

They secured this victory by undertaking tasks of the AI+ assistant track. The plug-in platform they designed supports multiple games and users’ interaction, using the large model to solve shortcomings of online games. Their outstanding work received high praise during the review meeting and Prof. HU Guoping awarded them the prize.

The iFlytek Spark Camp, by bridging practical industry with researchers and talents, represents an innovative attempt of collaboration. Students from all over the country obtained a chance to learn about the latest development of artificial intelligence in China. It is a remarkable and inspiring experience for all participants.

(Written by LI Peishan, edited by QIU Rong, USTC News Center)