From AI Coder to Global Skills Champion: SJTU Student Shines at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

A senior undergraduate in artificial intelligence at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 22-year-old Li Jinze claimed gold in Intelligent Security Technology today at the 48th WorldSkills Competition.

Hosted in Shanghai from September 22 to 27, the event featured Intelligent Security Technology as a newly added discipline, with Li competing as China's only official contestant.

The WorldSkills Competition is regarded as the world's premier international vocational skills event, gathering young professional talent across global industries.

Li's qualification for the global stage followed a series of top-ranking performances in domestic competitions. In June 2025, he won first place in the Shanghai trials and qualified for the national finals. He then secured the national championship at the 3rd National Vocational Skills Competition three months later and was selected for the national WorldSkills training team. In April this year, he achieved the highest score in internal assessments and secured a spot on China's official delegation.

Li's journey represents a technical shift from theoretical AI research to comprehensive engineering practice. Developed based on China's urban security and industrial experience, the Intelligent Security Technology event adopts domestically developed software and hardware systems. Its competition framework integrates high-definition surveillance, AI image analysis, intelligent sensor networks and automated security early-warning mechanisms.

The competition item sets rigorous interdisciplinary evaluation standards. Hardware installation and cabling account for only 15 percent of the total score, with software configuration, system operation, maintenance and algorithm optimization covering the remaining 85 percent. Contestants are required to apply practical engineering skills alongside advanced AI technologies, including computer vision and collaborative large and small model applications.

Li noted that competition scenarios correspond closely to real-world community security and intelligent monitoring infrastructure, which serves essential social and urban governance needs.

"What we designed in the competition is similar to real-life community fence protection and intelligent monitoring systems, which are indispensable in nowadays' daily life," Li explained.

He added that the intelligent security industry is embracing new vitality with the integration of AI algorithms and multi-modal large models.

Consistent high-standard training underpinned Li's competitive results. Starting in June 2025, he received systematic coaching from a joint team of university researchers, institute experts and industry engineers, covering six core modules – intrusion alarm systems, video surveillance, access control, intelligent fire protection, intercom systems and integrated security operation.

Li emphasized that precise execution of fundamental details determines overall technical quality in professional skill competitions.

"Professional excellence comes from persistent, long-term training," he said.

Throughout multiple training and cross-city exchange schedules, Li maintained steady academic progress with institutional support from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Coordinated scheduling allowed him to balance intensive training and undergraduate coursework, completing most of his academic requirements while accumulating substantial engineering practice experience.

Li's progression from undergraduate student to world-level technical contestant reflects the developmental trajectory of modern young engineering talent. Combining computational expertise with hands-on craftsmanship, he demonstrates the practical value of interdisciplinary technical education and interprets the core spirit of the WorldSkills motto, "Master Skills, Change Your Future."