BEIJING, Nov 8 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Senior media professionals from the Global South have called for closer cooperation at the 7th World Media Summit in Beijing to give their countries a stronger voice in global coverage as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the media industry, reported Xinhua.
Co-organised by Xinhua news agency and the Beijing municipal government, this year’s summit runs from Nov 5 to 9.
It has attracted nearly 500 representatives of media outlets, think tanks and government bodies from 112 countries and regions, as well as the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations.
Launched in 2009, the World Media Summit has become a major platform for exchange and cooperation among media leaders and professionals across regions and language communities.
“What is important about the summit is that it brings media outlets from around the world and gives us a forum to discuss the future of our industry,” said Kenedid Ibrahim Houssein, director of publication of La Nation in Djibouti, who is attending the summit for the first time.
“We hope to further develop partnerships with China on information sharing through this platform,” he added.
Ghislain Ruffin Etoughet Nzuet, chairman of the board of directors of Gabon Broadcasting Corporation, said the World Media Summit provides a platform for African countries to tell their own stories and speak for themselves.
“Africa has a long tradition and a long history, yet very little is known about us,” Nzuet said, adding that cooperation with partners around the world, particularly China, could help bring African perspectives into global discussions.
Agnes Kalekye Nguna, managing director and CEO of Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, stressed the importance of dialogue among civilisations on an equal footing.
She called for more initiatives to expand exchanges and deepen media cooperation between Africa and China, saying a mutually beneficial partnership could inspire similar efforts elsewhere in the Global South and beyond.
Under this year’s theme, "Media in the Intelligent Age: From Consensus to Action", delegates are also discussing how countries in the Global South can work together to help their media organisations adapt to the expanding use of AI across the industry.
“How do we ensure smaller nations have a meaningful voice in shaping the future of AI?” asked Aminath Namza, chairperson of Public Service Media in the Maldives, during discussions at the summit.
She said many AI models are trained on data drawn mainly from societies with a greater digital presence and may therefore fail to fully reflect the languages, cultures and realities of smaller nations.
“International cooperation must therefore ensure that developing countries and small island states can contribute not only to AI’s development, but also to the principles governing it,” she said.
On Saturday, the 7th World Media Summit released the Global Media Initiative for the Joint Development of AI Application Standards.
Launched by Xinhua, the initiative brings together major media outlets and other professional organisations to safeguard information authenticity, protect data security and uphold media ethics, thereby maintaining public trust in the media.
Under the initiative, participants plan to work together over approximately two years to develop a set of standards covering different applications of AI in the media, with the standards to be validated by media outlets.
Najeh Missaoui, director general and CEO of Tunis Afrique Presse, one of the initiative’s first participants, described it as a major step forward.
“It takes us from talking about AI to taking joint action and setting rules,” he said.
“For us at Tunis Afrique Presse, this plan ensures that the Global South will have a hand in shaping the rules for AI, rather than simply consuming technology developed by others,” he added.
“We hope the initiative will become a practical avenue for cooperation, sharing expertise and building capacity, so that media organisations of different sizes and with different resources can apply the standards,” said Mohammed Alyami, director general of the Union of News Agencies of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, another of the initiative’s first participants, in an interview.
Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), said media organisations needed to go beyond access to basic AI tools by investing in more advanced technologies and training staff to use them effectively.
He called on countries in the Global South to strengthen cooperation amid the changing media landscape and ensure that media organisations worldwide could share in the benefits of AI.
Adopted at the summit on Saturday, the 7th World Media Summit Beijing Consensus calls for joint efforts to advance the transformation and development of the global media industry in the AI era.
It commits to promoting the inclusive and responsible application of AI in the media sector, ensuring that its benefits extend to media organisations at all stages of development and in every country.
“The future of global communication must be intelligent, but above all, inclusive,” said Viasen Soobramoney, CEO of South Africa’s Independent Media IOL and the African News Agency, during the summit.
Soobramoney called for transparent, accountable and inclusive global AI governance to prevent the technology from reinforcing inequalities that have long affected many countries in the Global South.
Africa and China could deepen cooperation in AI-assisted translation, multimedia production, journalist training, content verification and the exchange of technical expertise, he said.
Abdul Hakim, president director of Indonesia’s Antara news agency, suggested closer cooperation in information sharing and verification, more exchanges on responsible AI use and newsroom innovation, and better coordination in reporting on global challenges.
“No country, no community, and no voice should be left behind,” he said.
“This is why international cooperation matters so much.”
-- BERNAMA-XINHUA
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