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Chinese media in race to tap tech, AI amid financial crunch and fact-check push

  • New technology a ‘double-edged sword’ that can drive innovation but also spur misinformation, executives say at industry forum

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Media firm Suzhou Broadcasting System has created its own platform based on existing AI software. Photo: Denise Tsang
Denise Tsangin Suzhou

China’s media industry is racing to embrace new technology for a much-needed transformation, as operators look to become more financially sustainable while also stepping up fact-checking efforts.

This was the on-the-ground experience shared by most of the roughly 100 leaders in traditional and new media from Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China and Taiwan who gathered at a forum earlier this week, the first in seven years connecting the executives from the four places.

The media professionals met in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, to share their experience of the impact of the latest technology trends on the industry and how to cope with them.

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Some operators from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau said they were caught between trying to tap into the opportunities of developments such as artificial intelligence (AI) while also balancing the risks and adapting to readers’ shifting behaviour.
Post editor-in-chief Tammy Tam (centre) was among media professionals taking part in the forum. Photo: Denise Tsang
Post editor-in-chief Tammy Tam (centre) was among media professionals taking part in the forum. Photo: Denise Tsang

But those on the mainland said they had overcome such barriers through trial and error, and they were keen to develop business models to make the use of such technology financially sustainable.

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“Technology is a double-edged sword that has not only revolutionised media, but also the proliferation of misinformation and hence the difficulties in discerning misinformation,” said Professor Wang Runze, from Renmin University of China’s school of journalism and communication.

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