China's first F1 driver Zhou Guanyu and Chinese tech pioneer SenseTime team up for a cross-disciplinary dialogue on AI+ Racing on April 12 in Shanghai. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China's first F1 driver Zhou Guanyu and Chinese tech pioneer SenseTime teamed up for a cross-disciplinary dialogue on AI+ Racing on April 12 in Shanghai, aiming to promote the application of AI in racing and also deepen its penetration into various sports events.

During the dialogue, Xu Li, co-founder and CEO of SenseTime, carried out an in-depth conversation with Zhou on topics like the similarities between technology and sportsmanship, the unwavering commitment to innovation, as well as the importance of pushing boundaries.

"To achieve a breakthrough from scratch to the F1 racetrack - a foreign competitive sport that may not have traditionally been associated with Chinese individuals or drivers - alongside a Chinese company like SenseTime, demonstrates that Chinese people and Chinese technology can conquer the global stage. It is both inspiring and a source of great pride for me personally. I am thrilled to collaborate with SenseTime," said Zhou.

"Throughout our three-year journey together, we have experienced many moments of triumph and brilliance, faced challenges, and enjoyed camaraderie. I believe that SenseTime's most significant contribution to our team and myself has been the introduction of key AI technologies, which have greatly optimized our race strategies," he added.

As the AI technology partner of Kick Sauber F1 Team since 2022, SenseTime leverages its AI technology to help the team optimize its decision-making process and race strategies, enabling it to make quick and effective adjustments to its tactics in a split second during the race.

In addition, Zhou's race car in the Chinese Grand Prix, which will be held in Shanghai from April 19 to 21, will be adorned with an updated SenseTime logo—the SenseTime X.O. logo.

"The X.O. symbolizes Professor Tang Xiao'ou, the founder of SenseTime and a renowned computer scientist, and his vision of creating a better AI-empowered future through innovation," Xu said.

China's first F1 driver Zhou Guanyu and Chinese tech pioneer SenseTime team up for a cross-disciplinary dialogue on AI+ Racing on April 12 in Shanghai. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Xu emphasized that, driven by its core technological capabilities and continuous advancement, AI is increasingly leaving its mark on top international sporting events. For example, SenseTime has developed a multi-camera vision motion capture system based on its extensive visual model framework. This system intelligently captures event highlights, generates thrilling moments, performs statistical analysis of data and motion, and provides valuable insights.

Also, SenseTime has engaged in enhancing sports broadcasts by incorporating immersive and engaging effects through AI technologies.

For example, SenseTime's AI+AR technologies, powered the Hangzhou Asian Games, deliver a mixed-reality event experience for athletes from around the world. SenseTime also successfully applied 3D motion capture technology with AR effects in table tennis competitions to provide visualized broadcasting. Furthermore, SenseTime utilized AI+MR technology to precisely analyze athletes' movements in the curling competition, allowing audiences to fully understand the game and its intricacies.

"When Zhou Guanyu first debuted as China's first F1 driver in 2022, SenseTime's logo – with the Chinese characters Shangtang – was already emblazoned on the race car. In line with SenseTime's international expansion and the team's commitment to bringing Chinese innovation to a global stage, we have successfully changed people's perceptions on Chinese technology," Xu said.