Traditional Lingnan culture can be better disseminated with the help of artificial intelligence, while content creators should maintain independent creativity and accumulate knowledge to make new-media products resonate deeply.
Cultural experts made the remarks on Friday at the high-profile Forum on Building Up China’s Cultural Strength 2026, held on Thursday and Friday during the 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair.
On Friday, a side forum focusing on enhancing the cultural strength of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area gathered over 200 government officials, experts and business executives from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.
At a panel discussion in the afternoon, content creators and AI industry leaders talked about how to deliver Lingnan culture through new-media channels, the broad audience base for Lingnan culture, and the importance of utilizing AI to assist in new-media content creation.
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One panel member was Zhang Chi, a media blogger famous for reading poetry in Cantonese and who focuses on delivering Guangdong province’s culture through Cantonese, has millions of followers on social media. He said the cultural depth is the key behind a viral video.
He said that although AI can greatly improve efficiency, a knowledge content creator’s ability would be ruined if he or she relies too much on the technology. AI cannot distinguish right from wrong information, which may steer cultural communication in the wrong direction, Zhang said.
“Rather than simply copy from AI, content should be evidence-based and personalized, only then can your work have lasting vitality,” he said.
He also said that the cultural market of the Greater Bay Area is not limited to the Chinese mainland, as there are many overseas Chinese from Guangdong who still speak Cantonese.
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Jose Chan Rodrigues, a member of the Economic Development Committee of the Macao Special Administrative Region and director-general of the Macau Live Streaming Association, shared insights on promoting Macao culture through short videos. Echoing Zhang, he said that AI can be an effective tool, but many young people have placed too much trust on it.
He said that Macao serves as a bridge for cross-cultural exchanges, and has noticed that many foreigners show great interest in Chinese culture.
At the same occasion, Chen Jinyao, co-founder and CEO of Insta360 — renowned for its action cameras and 360-degree cameras — cited the Greater Bay Area’s strong ability in supply chain and huge potential in furthering AI development.
He said that regarding the balance between originality and technology, professional content creators should at least possess the ability to use AI, and content remains the foundation.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
