(Yicai) July 5 -- Chinese search engine and artificial intelligence giant Baidu and three other companies have reportedly received the first licenses for the demonstration application of driverless intelligent connected vehicles in Shanghai.

Baidu Zhixing Technology Shanghai, Saike Intelligent Technology Shanghai, AutoX, and Pony.ai got the licenses at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference yesterday, which kicked off on the same day, The Paper reported. The permits are valid through Jan. 4.

Passengers can book an unmanned Robotax on the four companies' applications for roads covering 205 kilometers in the downtown area of Shanghai's Pudong district.

As the first Chinese city to issue autonomous driving test policies, Shanghai has opened roads in demonstration zones in Jiading, Jinqiao, and other districts. Testing driverless smart connected vehicles in the city has improved the interconnection of test roads in Pudong and Lingang Special Area.

Editor: Martin Kadiev