As another wave of technology after the Internet, artificial intelligence (AI) has become the core force driving changes in various industries.

Consumers' demand for the experience and functionality of smart terminal products is growing, and the smart terminal field is also in urgent need of smarter and more convenient products to meet consumers' pursuit of personalized experience.

At the same time, the rapid implementation of artificial intelligence technology is also subverting the inherent model of the upstream industrial chain. Digital factories and intelligent manufacturing have become opportunities and challenges faced by smart terminal companies.

Against this background, the TCL 2024 Global Technology Innovation Conference was grandly held, attracting the attention of many industries and becoming an important window for showcasing TCL's cutting-edge technological achievements and future strategic layout.

As a company with extensive influence in the world, TCL fully demonstrated its in-depth exploration and innovative practices in the field of AI at the 2024 TCL Global Technology Innovation Conference. Through the interviews at this conference, we can clearly see that AI plays a vital role in TCL's smart terminals, market ecology and industrial fields, driving the company to continuously achieve innovative development and industrial upgrading.

Smart Terminals: AI Reshapes User Experience

TCL Industrial CTO Sun Li elaborated on the strategic vision of TCL Industrial at the conference, namely "brand-led value, global efficiency management, technology-driven, and vitality first", and is committed to becoming a leading smart terminal company with global operations.

In the field of smart terminals, TCL's various products are using AI to achieve disruptive changes in user experience.

TCL has made remarkable innovations in the field of television. The continuous development of Mini LED technology has brought about a qualitative improvement in TV picture quality, and the addition of AI technology has further optimized the user's viewing experience. Through AI algorithms, the TV can automatically adjust the picture quality parameters according to different content types, presenting a more realistic and delicate picture effect.

In terms of intelligent interaction, AI has given TVs a more acute perception capability. The continuous advancement of voice recognition technology allows users to easily control TVs with simple voice commands, such as searching for programs, adjusting the volume, and querying information.

For example, users only need to say "play my favorite movie", and the TV will respond quickly and accurately push content that suits the user's preferences. This convenient interactive method greatly improves the user experience and transforms the TV from a traditional passive viewing device to an active service smart terminal.

The AR glasses launched by TCL are another highlight in the field of smart terminals. Among them, the optical machine using the most advanced Micro LED technology has become the core competitiveness of this product. This advanced display technology combined with AI functions brings users unprecedented Only Experience.

In practical applications, the AI ​​function of AR glasses has shown great potential.

For example, in outdoor scenes, when users are riding, AR glasses can provide users with accurate route guidance in real time through AI navigation. The navigation information is directly presented in the user's field of view, avoiding the safety hazards of users frequently looking down at their phones.

At the same time, in international communication scenarios, the real-time translation function uses AI technology to achieve instant language conversion, breaking down language barriers, and providing "real-time Chinese subtitles" for foreign language conversations in real scenarios, which will undoubtedly provide great convenience for users' travel and communication.

The application of AI has also brought significant changes to traditional white goods such as air conditioners and washing machines. Compared with the fixed operating logic of the past, AI can provide customized experiences for users in different regions, environments and with different needs, which can be regarded as a leapfrog upgrade of the industry.

Take air conditioners as an example. AI technology enables them to have intelligent perception capabilities. Through built-in sensors and AI algorithms, air conditioners can monitor indoor temperature, humidity, and the user's sleep status in real time, automatically adjust the operating mode and wind speed, provide users with a comfortable sleeping environment, and achieve energy saving and consumption reduction.

In terms of washing machines, AI technology is reflected in the intelligent recognition of clothes and the automatic optimization of washing modes. The washing machine can automatically select the most suitable washing program according to the material, weight and degree of stains of the clothes, ensuring the washing effect while reducing damage to the clothes.

Sun Li said at the meeting, "The introduction and application of AI technology helps smart terminal products return to the first principles. The first function of an air conditioner is to provide suitable air, and the first function of a washing machine is to wash clothes, not the structure, motor, or compressor."

Market transformation: AI drives ecosystem collaboration and expansion

At the market level, the impact of AI on TCL is not only reflected in the intelligent upgrade of its products, but also promotes the company's active exploration in ecological collaboration and market expansion.

In the domestic market, although the development of smart homes has made some progress, cross-brand collaboration is still an issue that needs to be addressed.

Sun Li pointed out: "In the past, we put a voice recognition system on the air conditioner and one on the TV in the same scene. If the coordination was not good, all smart terminals would have to answer when calling an appliance." This phenomenon reflects the lack of an effective coordination mechanism between current smart home devices, which affects the user experience.

However, with the development of technology and the promotion of market demand, domestic companies are also actively seeking solutions to promote the establishment of unified smart home standards and protocols to promote interoperability between devices of different brands.

TCL is also actively involved in this, committed to improving the synergy of the smart home ecosystem through technological innovation and cooperation, and providing consumers with a more convenient and intelligent home life experience.

In terms of AI in smart terminals, overseas markets have shown higher acceptance and faster progress. Overseas markets have shown a high level of acceptance of TCL's AI home appliances.

Sun Li mentioned: "The application penetration rate of AI washing and AI preservation in washing machines in Europe and the United States is also very strong, and the acceptance is also very good. This is due to the rapid development of overseas markets in terms of device interconnection. For example, the Matter protocol jointly promoted by industry giants such as Google, Apple, and Amazon is widely used, which provides a good ecological foundation for TCL's AI home appliances."

As an important partner of Google in the global TV field, TCL has considerable advantages in synergy in overseas markets. Through cooperation with internationally renowned companies, TCL can better integrate resources, integrate AI technology into products, and meet the needs of overseas consumers for smart products. At the same time, TCL also focuses on localized AI tuning, product development and market promotion based on cultural differences and user habits in different countries and regions, further enhancing the competitiveness of its products.

Of course, the leading advantages of overseas AI technology and ecology will not last long. At the meeting, Sun Li emphasized the importance of cross-brand collaboration in realizing the vision of smart home. He believes that the future of smart home requires breaking down barriers between different brands to achieve data sharing and functional collaboration.

Therefore, TCL actively cooperates with other companies to jointly build a smart home ecosystem. Through open platforms and interfaces, TCL cooperates with various smart device manufacturers, software developers, etc., integrates resources from all parties, and provides users with more diverse smart life solutions.

Industrial AI: Internal innovation, empowering the industry

In the industrial field, the application of AI is profoundly changing TCL's production and manufacturing model, and promoting all-round transformation and upgrading of the industry.

Gechuang Dongzhi is an independent technology company incubated by TCL, focusing on building an industrial Internet platform and providing intelligent manufacturing technology product system and overall solutions. It aims to support TCL Group to become a world-class digital enterprise group, replicate and promote successful experience to external companies, and promote the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry.

Through its innovative technologies and solutions, Gechuang Dongzhi has achieved remarkable achievements in the field of industrial Internet, and has been rated as one of the first national demonstration enterprises for the integration of industrialization and informationization, one of the first national industrial design centers, and a national intelligent manufacturing demonstration pilot project.

He Jun, Vice President of TCL Industrial and CEO of Gechuang Dongzhi, elaborated in detail on the important role and development trend of AI in the manufacturing industry at the press conference.

He Jun said: "From the big model in the display field made by TCL Huaxing, to the combination of AI + YMS for improving production yield, to the big model of equipment knowledge management on the equipment side to make equipment intelligent, AI has borne fruit in every scenario."

During the production process, AI monitors and analyzes production data in real time through big data analysis and machine learning algorithms, thereby optimizing the production process and predicting faults.

For example, by analyzing equipment operation data, AI can detect potential faults in advance and promptly notify maintenance personnel to carry out repairs, thus avoiding production losses caused by equipment downtime. At the same time, the combination of AI + YMS (production management system) makes production planning more accurate and resource allocation more reasonable, effectively improving production efficiency and product quality.

Supply chain management is an important link in the manufacturing industry, and AI technology provides new ideas and methods for TCL's supply chain optimization.

Mr. He Jun pointed out: "Supply chain data involves ecological partners and multi-party data. Everyone has inconsistent calibers and high data confidentiality requirements. The application of this area is relatively delayed." Despite the challenges, TCL is actively exploring the use of AI technology to enhance the intelligence level of the supply chain.

By integrating and analyzing supply chain data through AI algorithms, TCL can achieve real-time monitoring and forecasting of each link in the supply chain, and optimize processes such as inventory management and logistics distribution.

For example, by using AI technology to predict market demand, TCL can arrange production plans and raw material procurement more accurately, reduce inventory backlogs and out-of-stock risks, and improve the overall efficiency and flexibility of the supply chain.

In the field of R&D, AI technology has become an important driving force for TCL to accelerate technological innovation.

He Jun said: "Not only does it require a large amount of R&D knowledge accumulation, but it also requires the integration of internal enterprise data, industry data that everyone is willing to share, and public literature retrieval data, in order to truly make good use of generative AI on the R&D side."

TCL uses AI technology for simulation, data analysis and knowledge management, which has accelerated the product development cycle and improved R&D efficiency.

For example, in the research and development of display technology, analyzing large amounts of experimental data through AI algorithms can quickly screen out the optimal materials and process parameters, providing strong support for technological breakthroughs.

At the same time, AI technology also promotes the sharing and inheritance of knowledge within the enterprise, enabling R&D teams to better utilize past experience and data to drive continuous technological innovation.

The widespread application of AI technology in the manufacturing industry has put forward new requirements for the talent structure of enterprises.

He Jun emphasized the importance of cultivating talents who can adapt to the AI ​​era: "We need to cultivate our own data scientists who understand production and processes, can master new technologies from the basic methodology of AI technology, and can make good use of AI."

TCL actively carries out internal training and talent development programs to enhance employees' AI technology application capabilities and digital literacy. By cultivating compound talents who understand both production and manufacturing and AI technology, TCL provides a solid talent guarantee for the company's intelligent transformation.

Looking ahead, Mr. He Jun is full of confidence in the development of AI in the manufacturing industry. He believes that AI will continue to penetrate deeply into all aspects of the manufacturing industry, and promote the development of the manufacturing industry towards intelligence, digitalization and greening. TCL will continue to increase its investment in the research and development and application of AI technology, constantly explore new application scenarios and business models, and strive to take a leading position in the global manufacturing competition.

Summarize

Through in-depth analysis of TCL's smart terminals, market level and industrial field, we can clearly see that AI plays an indispensable role in corporate development. In the field of smart terminals, AI has brought disruptive user experience to products; at the market level, AI has promoted ecological synergy and expansion.

In terms of industrial AI, Gechuang Dongzhi's unique development model and successful practice within TCL have provided valuable experience for the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry. Its deep understanding of the key factors in the integration of AI and manufacturing, as well as its future layout in improving yield and optimizing labor efficiency, will effectively promote the development of the manufacturing industry towards intelligence and efficiency.

TCL's continuous exploration and innovative practice in the field of AI has not only won market competitive advantages for the company itself, but also set an example for the entire industry.

With the continuous development of AI technology and the continuous expansion of application scenarios, TCL is expected to continue to lead the innovative development trend of the technology industry in the future, provide global consumers with smarter and more convenient products and services, and at the same time promote the manufacturing industry to a higher level.

In this era full of opportunities and challenges, TCL's AI-centric development strategy will become an important engine for it to achieve sustainable development, helping the company shine more brightly on the global stage.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.