THE HEADS OF all the major domestic information technology giants attended the 2017 China (Shenzhen) IT Summit held in Shenzhen in Guangdong province on Saturday, where they expressed their opinions on the new era of artificial intelligence and smart devices. Southern Metropolis Daily comments:

Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of domestic e-commerce giant Alibaba, was quite frank in mentioning the challenges the Pearl River Delta region faces. He pointed out that the traditional manufacturing industries in the Pearl River Delta will be challenged by those offering tailored, personalized services in the coming 10 to 15 years.

His words hit the point. The manufacturing industries in the Pearl River Delta region have long been famous for producing standardized products ranging from radios in the 1980s and MP3s in the 2000s to smartphones today. They are good at making electronic products in large quantities.