On June 18, China Post issued a set of four special stamps entitled Artificial Intelligence. The designs of the stamps are respectively named Birth of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Intelligence Integration, Embodied Artificial Intelligence and Harmonious Coexistence.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), as the core force leading the new round of sci-tech revolution, has been deeply integrated into all areas of production and daily life. This set of stamps reflects the journey of AI from its birth to its future development. With technological aesthetics and humanistic connotation as its dual core, it constructs a visual narrative with a rich sense of the times and depth of thought, comprehensively presenting the evolution, diverse applications and social value of AI technology.
The first stamp, Birth of Artificial Intelligence, takes the two stereoscopic letters of AI as the main picture, and the site of the Dartmouth Conference as the background, defining the Dartmouth Conference (1956) as the historical origin where AI was officially born. The colorful electrocardiogram line traversing the design symbolizes the historic beginning of the AI era.
With the visual effect of holographic streaks, the main design of the second stamp, Digital Intelligence Integration, presents a hub-and-spoke network architecture, which clearly illustrates the operational logic of data flowing outward from the center across all domains and enabling multi-dimensional integration. At the center of the network architecture, “LLM Large Language Model” is prominently marked. On the periphery are icons for multi-scenario functions including people, videos, imagery, data, voice and documents. Together they indicate that as the hub of a digital intelligence ecosystem, an LLM can leverage an all-encompassing intelligent network to make the Internet of Everything (IoE) and Artificial Intelligence Co-Being a reality.
The third stamp, Embodied Artificial Intelligence, features a robot gently touching a holographic screen with its fingertip. In the design, the drone signifies intelligent operations across the entire airspace. The autonomous vehicle represents the smart iteration and upgrading within the transportation sector. Together with the element of radio signals in the background, the whole design vividly illustrates an IoE-based digital intelligence ecosystem.
The fourth stamp, Harmonious Coexistence, centers on the coexistence of carbon-based life and silicon-based intelligence, and adopts a symmetrical composition of a human brain and a mechanical head to interpret the symbiotic relationship between artificial intelligence and human civilization. Within the dual-head portrait, the neural network and circuit patterns intertwine. The human brain on the left embodies human wisdom, creativity and emotions, while the mechanical head on the right represents AI computing power, algorithms and logic, serving as a digital extension of human wisdom. The surrounding binary codes symbolize the connection between humans and machines through data, and the integrated circuits and the lines running through the heads stand for brain-computer interconnection and shared awareness.
This set of stamps innovatively incorporates silicon-based materials into the special printing inks for the first time, both enhancing the texture of the inks and aligning closely with the theme of the stamps. The pictures of the stamps feature the masterful interplay of virtual and real elements, with rich layers of light and shadow as well as rich textures. It becomes not only an innovative model of contemporary high-end printing technology, but also exquisite philatelic products showcasing the vigorous development of AI in China in the new era.
The set of stamps is designed by Wang Huming and edited by Liu Jian.