On 27 November, the JMSC invited Professor Qingan Zhou, Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, to share his expertise on the new environments, challenges, and opportunities facing international communication in the A.I. era.

International communication originated during periods of conflict in world history. With heightened global tensions such as the Russo-Ukrainian War and the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian situation, international conflicts became more pronounced and complex, putting even more significance on international communication, noted Professor Zhou.

Beyond the changing political environment marked by increasingly complex and intense international conflicts, Professor Zhou also addressed two other new environments facing international communication today: the social and technological contexts. Particularly in the technological realm, the rapid advancements represented by big data and the metaverse pose many new challenges for the media industry.

He highlighted four new elements that A.I. brings to international communication: the prominence of data-driven journalism, the “experience” revolution brought about by integrating virtual and reality, the reshaping of how people acquire knowledge, and the training and development of customized A.I. models.

Concluding his talk, Professor Zhou summarised his perspective on international communication in the A.I. era with four focal points: towards the real world, human experiences, shared risks, and practices specific to China.