A French entrepreneur was the only foreign professional to meet with President Xi Jinping in Shanghai on Tuesday, during the leader's tour of an incubator for artificial intelligence startups.

Hamza Boukili, 34, a math teacher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Paris Elite Institute of Technology who also runs his own AI startup, was among the researchers who met Xi during his visit to the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center.

The Frenchman said meeting with the Chinese president has motivated him more than ever to succeed in his work.

"During the communication, President Xi's final words were about us, the young people standing in front of him, hold the future in our hands. That made me feel a great sense of responsibility," Boukili said.

"It further strengthened my determination to continue working hard to contribute to society, the country and the world as a whole," said Boukili, who has worked at Shanghai Jiao Tong University since 2020 and started his own business last year at the AI incubator.

Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center was established in 2023 and is China's first specialized incubator for developing foundational models for AI.

Boukili's startup focuses on applying AI algorithms to energy conservation and emission reduction.

During his tour, Xi called on Shanghai to accelerate efforts to build itself into a pacesetter for scientific and technological innovation, saying that the municipality should strive to be at the forefront of AI development and governance.

Boukili said it was a rare honor to be able to have direct communication with President Xi.

"I was bombarded with blessings from fellow teachers, colleagues, classmates and friends after they saw me on the news. Everybody expressed their happiness, pride and support for me," Boukili said.

He added that while his home country of France may have advantages in traditional technical aspects, when it comes to the current development of AI, Shanghai excels in terms of resources, manpower and talent.

"President Xi's words made me feel the responsibility we have, and made us more determined to continue to work harder to do our jobs better, and with more noticeable results," said Boukili.

He said Xi's trip made it clear to him directly how important the development of AI is to the country.

This importance is also reflected in a string of policies in Shanghai as well as nationally that help entrepreneurs more quickly implement their business projects and develop faster, Boukili said.

"Shanghai is a city with diversified economic development, which is excellent when carrying out entrepreneurial plans because it means there are always many target clients of different types," he said.

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