In the opening address, Prof. BEN Shenglin, Dean of ZIBS, warmly welcomed all attendees in London and online. Under the theme "Connecting the World of AI, Shaping the Future of Finance" resonated deeply with ZIBS core mission – Connecting the World, Shaping the Future – as ZIBS aims to become a science & technology-focused premier global business school from China. After tracing the historical connections between ZIBS and CBAIA, he introduced ZIBS and its UK Initiative. He shared his insights into how AI is shaping the future of finance, by elaborating on its influence in areas such as improved customer service, credit scoring, risk assessment, and algorithmic trading. He also emphasized the urgent need for international collaboration in establishing a cohesive regulatory framework for AI in the financial sector.

Following the introduction, Chris Ling, Managing Partner at Logtec Innovation Limited, gave an in-depth presentation titled "How AI is Transforming Our Lives." His discourse offered a profound exploration of the practical applications of AI in our daily lives, highlighting its transformative potential across various industries, with particular emphasis on the finance sector.

As AI becomes a hotbed for investment, James Stewart, the Founder and Managing Partner of Menlo Partners LLP, shared his insights into the AI sector from an investor's perspective.

Prof. David Stillwell, Professor of Computational Social Science, Academic Director of the Psychometrics Center, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, provided profound insights on the topic "Generative AI as a Disruptive Technology." He emphasized that despite the disruptive potential of AI, very few professions will be entirely replaced by AI. Compared to other emerging technologies, the generative AI is more likely to impact professionals rather than manual laborers. He believes that most professions will not disappear; instead, with the assistance of AI, the quality and efficiency of work could be improved.

John Orchard, the CEO of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), provided a brief  introduction to OMFIF and shared his perspective on the impact of AI on central banks and the financial system.

Julian Jacobs, Senior Economist at OMFIF, in discussing the regional factors, elaborated on the impact of AI on central banks. This impact primarily pertains to potential challenges posed by AI development to macroeconomics, including associated risks stemming from AI usage. He explored how central banks are already leveraging AI and discussed the associated risks and addressed that these issues necessitate finding solutions at the level of public policy.

Looking back in history, the development of neuroscience has driven the emergence of artificial intelligence. Prof. Peter Latham, Professor of Theoretical Neuroscience from the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at UCL, offered a unique neuroscientific perspective on interpreting AI from the standpoint of neuroscience.

During the Panel Discussion and Q&A session, keynote speakers, participants, ZIBS Associate Professor WAN Feng, and ZAFT Secretary-General LIU Yi engaged in deeper conversation. 

Lastly, ZIBS, ZAFT, CBAIA and Beijing Frontier Institute of Regulation & Supervision Technology (FIRST) signed a strategic cooperation agreement, represented by WAN Feng, LIU Yi, and XIE Zhikai. In the near future, more cooperations in talent development, research collaboration, and corporate exchange will be conducted, by focusing on emerging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The event also received a video greeting from JIN Xin, representative of the Administration Commission of Xicheng Section in Zhongguancun Science Park, who remotely witnessed the signing. He emphasized the global importance of cooperation between artificial intelligence and financial technology and provided an overview of the "JinKe New Area", a national-level FinTech demonstration zone in Beijing. He also invited all the guests to join the Global FinTech Conference in Beijing in November and engage in high-level, profound and results-oriented exchange.

Additionally, ZIBS officially launched the ZIBS UK Center initiative during this event, indicating its commitment to expanding exchanges and collaborations with British universities, government, enterprises, and organisations.

Moderated by Vicky Zhang, the ZIBS UK Forum attracted nearly 200 professionals, researchers, founders and investors of startups, from the fields of artificial intelligence and financial technology. The forum captured online participation from audiences in China, the UK, and around the world.