Forum on China's cultural strength spotlights AI-driven innovation, culture converge

　　The Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength 2025 kicked off on Monday in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, where cultural celebrities, experts and scholars exchanged views on topics including Chinese cultural confidence and how intelligent technologies empower cultural production and enhance the influence of Chinese culture.

　　Zhang Zhiqiang, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Philosophy, said the Chinese civilization has endured for millennia without interruption and remained resilient despite numerous hardships, during his speech at the main forum. He concluded that behind the continuous development of Chinese civilization are generations of Chinese nationals who have driven its progress through constant innovation.

　　Zhang said that the continuity of Chinese civilization is "a miracle of human civilization" and "the bedrock of our cultural confidence."

　　Shen Zhuanghai, professor at the School of Marxism at Wuhan University, noted that the country has in recent years launched initiatives such as "Internet Plus" and "AI Plus" to promote the deep integration of cultural development with these technologies, striving to preserve the genes of Chinese culture, enrich its contents, and highlight its charm while embracing the digital and intelligent era.

　　Acknowledging that those efforts have yielded historic achievements, Shen said it is time to place greater emphasis on enhancing the cultural and digital literacy of the entire nation rather than overly relying on internet technologies to ensure digital and intelligent technologies better serve the enhancement of human creativity and the creation of new culture.

　　Gao Wen, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also highlighted the important role of AI in cultural development.

　　The Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength 2025 kicks off in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, May 26, 2025. /Photo courtesy of Shenzhen Special Zone Daily 

　　During his speech at the main forum, Gao said AI technology is enabling traditional culture to "come alive and be passed down" by breaking the spatial and temporal barriers of cultural dissemination, bringing static, long-preserved historical artifacts and documents to life through dynamic interpretations, and using technologies like image recognition and data analysis to accurately record and safeguard information about endangered cultural heritage.

　　Intelligent guided tour systems allow museum artifacts to "speak," vividly narrating the historical stories behind them, Gao said, adding that digital forms of preservation and transmission, such as digital libraries, museums and archives, prevent the loss of precious cultural resources.

　　Gao also said that AI technology helps promote Chinese culture's ability to "go global."

　　With technologies like intelligent translation and recommendation systems, Chinese cultural works can transcend language barriers and precisely reach global audiences, Gao said, adding that smart algorithms recommend Chinese cultural content tailored to the preferences of audiences in different countries and regions, showcasing the charm of Chinese culture in all its dimensions.

　　All of these efforts enhance the global reach and influence of Chinese culture, thus helping the world better understand China and its culture, fostering mutual learning among diverse cultures and accelerating the building of a global community with a shared future, Gao said.

　　However, Gao also stressed the importance of leveraging art and culture to enhance AI's aesthetic creativity, which can ensure AI becomes a beneficial partner in the progress of human civilization.

　　The forum, hosted by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, has been held annually since 2023. With a focus on the pressing issues of the time, the forum – consisting of one main forum and 10 sub-forums – serves as a platform for dialogue and a bellwether for cultural development.

　　The landmark event is set to further rally momentum toward cultural innovation and prosperity and accelerate the journey toward building China into a leading country in culture.