Baidu’s live-streamed annual tech conference briefly cut off on WeChat service amid China’s tightened online content rules

Baidu World 2022, which started its live stream at 9am on Thursday, was cut off for nearly half an hour on WeChat Channels
The sudden interruption was because of the organiser’s failure to apply for an approval in advance from authorities, according to a Tencent spokesman

Baidu

Che Panin Beijing

Published: 6:00pm, 21 Jul, 2022

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The live stream of internet giant Baidu’s annual flagship technology conference on Thursday was abruptly cut off for nearly half an hour on WeChat Channels, a service run by Tencent Holdings, for not being preregistered with Chinese authorities.

Baidu World 2022, which started its live stream at 9am, was suddenly interrupted because the event’s organiser failed to apply for an approval in advance from authorities, according to Zhang Jun, a senior public relations manager at Tencent.

All “large-scale live-streaming” programmes on WeChat Channel require preregistration with the proper authorities, Zhang said. He added that Baidu World’s live stream resumed right after an “emergency coordination”.

Baidu’s live-streamed event, however, was not interrupted on other platforms such as its own service, Baidu Live, and various video accounts run by state-owned broadcaster China Central Television.

Xu Baoqiang, general manager of Baidu Autonomous Driving Vehicle manager, briefs members of the media in Beijing on the Apollo RT6, a new electric vehicle with an “optional” steering wheel, on July 20, 2022. The RT6 was formally unveiled at the Baidu World conference on July 21, 2022, as part of the company’s robotaxi fleet. Photo: AP

The intervention by WeChat reflects how internet platforms are deferring to Beijing’s tightened grip on online content, including various live-streamed activities, while rooting out material that fails to fit the values that the government endorses.

Centred on the theme of “deepening artificial intelligence (AI) innovation for social growth”, the Baidu conference revealed the company’s latest developments including cloud computing, large-scale AI models and autonomous driving.

Baidu also formally unveiled at the event its new Apollo RT6 electric car, fitted with a Level 4 autonomous driving system, which will form part of its robotaxi fleet.

Baidu chairman’s water attacker detained as stunt goes viral

While the sudden interruption of Baidu’s live-streamed conference may have raised some eyebrows among the event’s online audience, it is a minor blip compared to an incident that happened at the same annual tech conference in July 2019.

Robin Li Yanhong, co-founder, chairman and chief executive of Baidu, was speaking about AI and connected cars at the event when a man from the audience jumped on stage and poured a bottle of water over his head.

Looking shocked, Li responded by asking: “What’s your problem?” The man was tackled by security off the stage. There were gasps from the audience and then sporadic applause, as Li resumed his presentation when he said: “There are many unexpected things in the development of AI, too”.

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