Media groups at a Beijing summit endorsed wider access to artificial intelligence and launched a standards effort, as one participant said cost keeps the tools beyond some organizations' reach.
Delegates adopted the 7th World Media Summit Beijing Consensus, which calls for broader access to AI and responsible use by media organizations. Separately, Xinhua News Agency launched an initiative with 21 other Chinese and international organizations to develop standards for AI applications in news production.
Xinhua said the work is intended to address concerns about information authenticity, data security and journalistic ethics. It also proposed a database of media AI applications. The initiative aims to produce guidance tested by media organizations in about two years; the standards are still under development.
Xinhua said participants came from 112 countries and regions. The agency estimated nearly 500 people attended, representing almost 330 media outlets, think tanks and government bodies. The United Nations and other international organizations were also represented. Li Shulei delivered a keynote speech during the opening. He is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and heads its Publicity Department.
Xinhua President Fu Hua said media professionals should have a “fair chance to benefit from AI.”
The Bernama news agency reported that its Chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai said AI applications are beyond the means of some countries and organizations. Wong said cooperation could help “bridge that affordability gap.”
Xinhua and the Beijing municipal government organized the summit under the theme “Media in the Intelligent Age: From Consensus to Action.” The World Media Summit began in 2009, with its previous edition held in Urumqi in 2024. Organizers scheduled the summit to run through Nov. 9; Xinhua's standards effort targets media-tested guidance in about two years.
