On June 10, 2026, Chongqing hosted the 5th China Media Group (CMG) Forum, under the theme ‘Upholding and Reshaping: The Media’s Mission in the Intelligent Era.’ The event offered a glimpse into where global communication and journalism are headed.

The forum kicked off with an exhibition celebrating Chongqing’s achievements over the years. As one of the major economic powerhouses along the Yangtze River, the city was a fitting host. The exhibition highlighted Chongqing’s manufacturing strength, particularly its leading role in laptop and mobile phone production, its position as a key node on the Belt and Road (Silk Road) Initiative, and its importance in opening up inland China to the world.

From there, attendees were taken through a showcase of how artificial intelligence is being woven into nearly every corner of the media industry. Highlights included AI-animated films, one-click video generation tools, AI-powered restoration of archival footage, and AIGC (AI-generated content) special expansions. This all shows how the media field is becoming faster, smarter, and more automated.

The forum opened with speeches and video messages from a roster of international figures, including Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC); Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO); and Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO.

Several speakers offered standout insights into how AI is and isn’t changing the media. Zhang Wenjun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert on video communication and information systems, spoke on the idea of “human-machine correlation”, the evolving relationship between human creativity and AI tools. Paul Bascobert, President of Reuters, offered a grounding perspective: “AI is powerful, but it’s not the author.” He emphasised that AI cannot provide care, a reminder that journalism still needs a human heart at its centre. Ulanbek Satiev and Wang Xingxing had riveting speeches about how AI has helped each in their respective work.

The forum also served as a stage for a wave of new projects and platforms set to roll out across the media landscape this year, the CMG Embodied Intelligence IP Collection, Fact Hunter, a global verification platform, officially inaugurated, CMG Central Audiovisual Media 3.0, newly launched, the CMGI Research Reports on AI Development and Governance, released and the 2nd International SilkWay Star Music Competition, launched.

The themes explored at this year’s CMG Forum—AI-assisted content creation, fact-verification platforms, and intelligent media infrastructure—aren’t just abstract trends happening on the other side of the world. We should look ahead and step into the current media world.