ISLAMABAD, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming 7th World Media Summit in China will provide an important platform for news organizations worldwide to explore ways to ensure technological progress serves the public interest and address artificial intelligence (AI)-driven transformation, Khalid Mahmood, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and former Pakistani ambassador to China, told Xinhua in an interview.
Mahmood, who will attend the summit, said the rapid evolution of technology has brought the news industry into a period of profound transformation.
"From mechanical and electrical technologies to electronics, digital technologies and now AI, each stage of technological development has changed the way people live, work and communicate," he said, noting that AI has made it possible to access, process, analyze and distribute information at unprecedented speed.
Mahmood believed that the upcoming event is an opportunity for global media to ponder not only the opportunities offered by AI, but also the risks associated with its growing use in journalism.
According to him, AI can improve the efficiency of news production and strengthen journalists' ability to analyze large amounts of information; however, at the same time, technological tools can reproduce or amplify biases embedded in the systems and data on which they rely.
"Machines can be influenced by human factors and develop biases, which may further deepen divisions in public opinion," he said, stressing that maintaining the credibility, neutrality and objectivity of media should remain a fundamental principle in the age of AI.
The expert called for the development of appropriate legal and ethical frameworks to guide the use of AI in journalism. Such frameworks, he said, could provide safeguards against misuse while allowing news organizations to make full use of the technology's positive potential.
He expressed hope that news organizations attending the summit would work together in a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding to maximize the benefits of AI, reduce its negative effects and promote a media environment that contributes to peace, understanding and cooperation among peoples and civilizations.
Talking about China's practice of integrating AI to reshape its media ecosystem, Mahmood said China's development and application of emerging technologies, including AI, could provide useful experience for other countries.
China has been integrating new technologies into various areas of national development, including the media sector, he said, adding that "China has accumulated extensive experience in using new technologies to benefit society, and these experiences are of great reference value to Pakistan and other countries."
Mahmood also highlighted the recently launched China-Pakistan Information Corridor (CPIC) as an important initiative for strengthening cooperation between media organizations and think tanks of the two countries.
The corridor, he said, can help both sides address emerging challenges such as deepfakes and disinformation while promoting greater mutual understanding.
"I believe today's media need not only technological capabilities, but also legal and ethical authority to support technological transformation," he said, describing this as one of the key objectives behind the CPIC.
He emphasized that cooperation among think tanks and media institutions could further strengthen collective efforts to respond to technological changes.
"Joint research, academic exchanges and collaborative publications could help institutions make better use of emerging technologies and produce meaningful results more efficiently," he said. ■
