AI Reshapes Creative Industries At Shenzhen Cultural Fair
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming China’s cultural and creative industries, with technology leaders, academics and businesses highlighting both the opportunities and ethical concerns surrounding its growing influence during major events in Shenzhen.
AI tools and large-language models became central themes at the 22nd China International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF), which runs through Monday, alongside discussions at the Forum on Building up China’s Cultural Strength.
Held in Shenzhen, the events showcased how AI is moving beyond experimentation and becoming deeply embedded in creative workflows, entertainment and professional services.
AI Adoption Expands Across Creative Sectors
At the fair, exhibitors demonstrated how AI applications are reshaping industries ranging from digital entertainment to enterprise software.
Visitors and participants discussed both the disruptive potential of AI and the opportunities created by the technology’s rapid advancement.
“I think AI is going to be taking off some jobs in the future because it’s revolutionary,” said Chris Molina, an overseas student from Shenzhen Polytechnic University.
Others focused on AI’s creative potential. “A lot of creative ideas now come from AI. It brings us positive energy,” said Liu Xiaoyan, general manager of Shenzhen Zhongchuang International Cultural Industry Development Company.
Tencent Showcases AI-Powered Work Tools
Chinese technology giant Tencent presented several AI-driven products during the event, including a smart assistant aimed at professionals.
According to Roy Zhang, an exhibit manager at Tencent’s pavilion, the product named WorkBuddy uses multimodal AI models connected to cloud servers to generate content through different large-language model capabilities.
The demonstrations reflected how businesses are increasingly integrating AI into productivity tools and workplace systems.
Meanwhile, consumer-facing applications also drew attention at the exhibition.
Interactive AI Characters Highlight New Trends
LBE Cultural Tourism and Live Attractions partnered with tech company AbsoluPai to launch AI Nailoong, an interactive virtual character designed to engage children through generative AI technology.
Wilson Wang, licensing director at LBE, said the virtual character delivers more responsive and emotionally engaging interactions by using AI-generated communication systems.
As AI adoption expands, discussions at the accompanying forum increasingly focused on governance, regulation and accountability.
Experts Call For Ethical AI Governance
Speakers at the Forum on Building up China’s Cultural Strength stressed that human oversight remains essential despite rapid technological progress.
Zhou Guoping, a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, argued that AI systems cannot possess moral judgement or emotional conscience.
He said humans must continue to bear responsibility for ethical decisions surrounding the technology.
Jason Si, vice president of Tencent and director of the Tencent Research Institute, emphasised the importance of stronger institutional oversight, platform governance and regulatory supervision.
In addition, Pang Chuan, vice president of Macao University of Science and Technology, called for the establishment of ethical standards and regulatory frameworks to guide AI governance in the Greater Bay Area.
Industry professionals at the events said the conversation has now shifted from whether AI should be adopted to how governments and businesses can manage integration, intellectual property rights and safety standards responsibly.
With inputs from Reuters
