He says the award has built connections with thousands of designers, designer groups and manufacturers around the world whose work has formed a foundation of ideas and powerful sources of creativity to promote the upgrading of industries in the digital economy and intensified integration of AI. Gao says they also inspire solutions for emerging social issues, such as public health, ecological restoration and the care of the elderly community.

"We always believe that design is for the people," Gao says. "The responsibility of designers is to create new life aesthetics in the digital age and the time of artificial intelligence."

The exhibition unveils an expansive view of the application of digital technology in various scenarios of life and production, such as new defibrillators and monitors to make emergency medical care more efficient, a cutting-edge display system that brings an immersive 3D experience and AI-powered robots to aid in the training of young Go (weiqi or the Chinese board game of black and white) learners.

Xu Jiang, vice-president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, says the primary role of design in future is to first provide conveniences in people's lives and then to facilitate the development of humankind in the building of a digital civilization.

He says a good design helps people "obey the rules of nature and to optimize relations with nature", a value long held in Chinese philosophy and cultural traditions.

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn