F1 Driver Zhou Guanyu and SenseTime Team Up for Inaugural Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue on "AI+Racing"

Shanghai, 12 April, 2024 ─ The Formula 1® Chinese Grand Prix, a highly anticipated racing event, is set to return to Shanghai from 19-21 April. Zhou Guanyu, China’s first F1 driver, will compete on his home turf and is expected to draw an audience of over 200,000 spectators. SenseTime, the AI technology partner of Kick Sauber F1 Team, will leverage its cutting-edge 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.

Dr. Xu Li,co-founder and CEO of SenseTime,in dialogue with Zhou Guanyu.

In anticipation of the upcoming race, Dr. Xu Li, co-founder and CEO of SenseTime, had a unique cross-disciplinary dialogue with Zhou Guanyu today. They engaged in a profound conversation to exchange ideas on various topics, such as the similarities of technology and sportsmanship, the unwavering commitment to innovation, as well as the importance of pushing boundaries. As a pioneering Chinese F1 race driver, Zhou Guanyu's every achievement represents a significant milestone in the history of Chinese motorsports. Similarly, SenseTime has always been committed to innovation, boldly venturing into uncharted territories of technology exploration.

Dr. Xu Li stated, "When Zhou Guanyu first debuted as China’s first F1 driver in 2022, SenseTime’s logo – with the Chinese characters 商汤 – 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. Our collaboration with KICK Sauber F1 Team  will redefine everyone's understanding of Chinese speed."

Zhou Guanyu at the SenseTime event.

Zhou Guanyu said, "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." He added, "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."

SenseTime has also developed a digital version of Zhou Guanyu, called "Xiao Zhou," for this occasion. Through this digital human, it delivers educational F1 racing content, provides intelligent event commentary, and creates engaging fan interactions. This allows a broader audience to experience the excitement of Formula 1 racing in an innovative way.

This year, Zhou Guanyu's race car is adorned with an updated SenseTime logo—the SenseTime X.O. logo. The X.O. symbolizes the late 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.  

Zhou Guanyu's racing car with the special edition SenseTime logo – SenseTime X.O.

In terms of large model applications, Dr. Xu Li emphasized that the integration of AI and sports presents a compelling avenue with significant potential for the practical implementation and advancement of large models. 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. 

SenseTime has also been at the forefront of enhancing sports broadcasts by incorporating immersive and engaging effects through cutting-edge AI technologies. For example, SenseTime’s AI+AR technologies powered the Hangzhou Asian Games, delivering 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.