Media urged to embrace high tech

As new technologies drive rapid transformation across industries, Chinese media officials and operators emphasized the need to better integrate digital thinking and produce higher quality content to meet audience needs and improve global communications.

During the Media Integration and Development Forum 2024 on Friday in Beijing, Mo Gaoyi, director of the State Council Information Office, said that mobile internet platforms, a primary source of information for netizens, have become essential channels for international communities to learn about China.

"Media platforms must truly understand and respect users, attracting them by offering credible and engaging content," he said, calling for media reforms to focus on meeting user needs and enhancing audience experience.

"With a role in tackling misinformation and clarifying critical concerns, it is crucial for platforms to be proactive in addressing false information, especially during big events," Mo said.

Sun Weimin, chief engineer of the Cyberspace Administration of China, highlighted the enduring power of quality content in the digital age.

"Despite evolving media formats, content remains invaluable," Sun said.

The recent success of the popular Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong shows that "authentic stories are the most compelling", she said, adding that more efforts are needed to transform significant cultural themes into high-quality, impactful narratives.

Echoing Sun's opinion, Mo also stressed that media staff need to learn from the innovative development experiences of commercial platforms and international media, drawing on their effective practices in user service, technological innovation, data operations and business expansion, and called for advancing the digital transformation of news dissemination to provide more precise content.

Sun Shangwu, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, said media operators are encouraged to embrace new technologies such as artificial intelligence to provide tailored services and significantly improve the efficiency of international communication.

Media platforms are expected to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, represented by generative AI, to empower international communication efforts.

"We should integrate these technologies into daily operations to fully enhance the level of intelligence in news gathering and editing," Sun said.

The chief engineer Sun Weimin stressed the proper response to the double-edged nature of generative AI technologies. Recent incidents involving AI-generated content with falsified information have raised concerns about potential risks, she said.

"The highly realistic nature of AI-generated content often makes it difficult to distinguish whether it's human-made or machine-generated, which directly impacts the media industry, especially the foundational value of news reporting," she said.

China has established standards for identifying AI-generated content, including regulatory guidelines introduced in September, aiming to distinguish authentic content from AI-created materials and prevent misinformation, she added.

Held by the People's Daily, the forum featured a main event, two parallel sub-forums, and themed activities such as AI Night, according to the organizer.