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 industry.
Co-organized by Xinhua News Agency and the Beijing municipal government, this year's summit runs from Nov. 5 to 9. It has drawn nearly 500 representatives of media outlets, think tanks and government bodies from 112 countries and regions, as well as the United Nations and other international organizations.
Initiated 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 partnership with China on information sharing based on this platform," he added.
Ghislain Ruffin Etoughet Nzuet, chairman of the board of directors at 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 civilizations on an equal footing.
She called for more initiatives to expand exchanges and deepen media cooperation between Africa and China, saying a partnership that benefits both sides 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 Global South countries could work together to help their media organizations adapt as AI use expands 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 therefore may not be able 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 organizations to safeguard the authenticity of information, protect data security, and uphold media ethics, thereby maintaining public trust in the media.
Under this initiative, participants plan to work together for about two years to develop a set of standards that address different media uses of AI and are validated by media outlets.
Najeh Missaoui, director general and CEO of Tunis Afrique Presse, one of the first participants, regards the initiative as a major step forward. "It takes us from talking about AI to taking joint action and setting rules."
"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 said.
"We hope the initiative will become a practical avenue for cooperation, sharing expertise and building capacity, and media organizations of different sizes and with different resources can apply the standards," said Mohammed Alyami, director general of the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is also among the first participants, in an interview with Xinhua.
Wong Chun Wai, chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), said that, instead of access to basic AI tools, media organizations need to invest in advanced tools and train staff to use them effectively.
He called on Global South countries to work together more closely in the changing media landscape and ensure that media organizations worldwide can 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 advancing the inclusive and responsible application of AI in the media sector so that advances in AI benefit media organizations 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 help prevent the technology from reinforcing inequalities that have long affected many Global South countries.
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 on 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."