BlackBerry Limited BB has created Advanced Technology Development Labs (BlackBerry Labs). This is going to be a new business unit operating at the forefront of R&D in the cybersecurity landscape. With this strategic move, the company aims to ensure that its customers are protected across all endpoints and verticals in the IoT. Headed by chief technology officer, BlackBerry Labs will include a team of more than 120 software developers, architects, researchers, product leads and security experts. They will work toward the common goal of identifying, exploring and creating new technologies to ensure that the company is on the cutting edge of security innovation.

Artificial intelligence will play an important role in reshaping an array of major industries such as retail, manufacturing and healthcare. Leading senior executives told the 4th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, eastern China, that rapid technological changes will transform companies and society. Robin Li, chief executive of Baidu, felt that in comparison with mobile internet technology, which revolutionised consumer services, artificial intelligence (AI) would have a far bigger influence on how companies ran their businesses. "For instance, Baidu is leveraging AI to help supermarkets better manage their supply of fresh food, by analysing and predicting which products are most popular," said Li, who runs China's largest search engine. He pointed out that such solutions had effectively reduced food waste and boosted profit growth at pilot stores.

Artificial intelligence companies have shown off their tracking technology at the World Internet Conference in China - giving a glimpse of how citizens are being watched everyday. Companies such as China's facial recognition start-up Face showed how their technology is already being used to identify and describe people. For the first time, the'Big Brother' conference was attended by top executives like Tim Cook of Apple, Sundar Pichai of Google and Jack Ma of Alibaba. Guided by the hand of the state, tracking technology has become widely accepted in China and this vast data collection could mean these companies have an edge over American competitors. One company present at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen was Face which used its technology to identify people in the audience's gender, hair length, colour and clothing.

The two companies will leverage their expertise and advantages in online and offline services to cooperate on projects in mobile Internet, AI, big data and telecom services. Baidu will help China Unicom put the services of more than 10,000 brick-and-mortar outlets and 300,000 franchised stores online. China Unicom will offer Baidu stronger telecom infrastructure support such as Internet data centers and information and communication technology. Robin Li, Baidu board chairman and CEO, said his company already cooperates closely in linking mobile search, mapping and group buying services with China Unicom's services, and Baidu is looking forward to impressive results from AI technology. Wang Xiaochu, board chairman of China Unicom, called the move an important step for cross-sector cooperation between Internet companies and telecom firms in line with the government's "Internet Plus" proposal to upgrade traditional sectors with IT technology.