By Roy Lie Atjam
BEIJING, Nov. 9, 2026 — The 7th World Media Summit (WMS) concluded in Beijing after bringing together about 500 representatives from nearly 330 media organizations, think tanks, government agencies, and international institutions from 112 countries and regions.
Held under the theme “Media in the Intelligent Age: From Consensus to Action,” the summit focused on the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence in the media industry. Organized by Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, the event provided an unprecedented forum for media leaders, policymakers, scholars, and technology experts to examine the opportunities and challenges that AI presents for the future of information.
A key outcome was the adoption of the Beijing Consensus, which calls for inclusive, responsible and ethical use of AI in journalism and media operations. Delegates emphasized the need for international cooperation to ensure that AI benefits media organizations worldwide, including those in developing countries.
Participants highlighted AI’s potential to improve newsroom efficiency, accelerate content production, enhance investigative reporting, and expand audience reach. At the same time, they warned of risks such as misinformation, deep fakes, data security concerns, and declining public trust if media. Mr Fu Hua’s call for Shared Progress.
Among the summit’s most influential voices was Mr Fu Hua,President of Xinhua News Agency, who advocated for fair access to AI technologies across the global media landscape.
He urged media organizations to share innovations, exchange expertise, and collaborate on research and development in order to narrow existing technological divides. According to Fu Hua, ensuring that all media professionals benefit from AI is not merely a technical challenge but a collective responsibility.
He also revealed that Xinhua has developed an AI-powered assistant known as Xinhua Style, a platform that integrates more than 160 functions supporting content production, editing, information retrieval, and news writing. For Fu Hua, AI’s greatest value lies in its ability to augment journalists rather than replace them. He emphasized combining human judgment with advanced technologies to strengthen investigative reporting, improve editorial quality, and build a new generation of intelligent media organizations capable of serving audiences more effectively.
The summit also launched the Global Media Initiative for the Joint Development of AI Application Standards, led by Xinhua News Agency. The initiative aims to develop internationally recognized standards for AI use in journalism over the next two years, focusing on information authenticity, data security and media ethics.
Representatives from Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and other regions stressed the importance of narrowing technological gaps between developed and developing countries. Several speakers called for greater access to digital infrastructure, computing resources and AI training for countries in the Global South. Mr Fabrice Fries, Chairman of AFP. He emphasized that AI’s benefits should not be concentrated among a few countries or companies. AI systems to be trained on datasets that reflect diverse cultures and viewpoints. He called on media organizations, governments, businesses and universities to work together to ensure that AI helps build a healthier, more diverse global information ecosystem.
In particular, AI models must be trained on datasets that reflect the diversity of human societies and perspectives, he said. For participants from Global South countries, the summit is particularly important in helping their media organizations adapt to the digital era and narrow development gaps. Luis Alves do Rosario Canhemba, senior director of the Information Office of Mozambique, said stronger international cooperation was essential for his country to facilitate its ongoing digital transformation. Wong Chun Wai, Chairman of Malaysia’s national news agency, advocated an “AI for All” approach, calling for a more inclusive global media ecosystem.
A recurring theme throughout the summit was that AI should serve as a tool to strengthen journalism rather than replace journalists. Reuters President Paul Bascobert stressed that while technologies evolve, the core principles of journalism remain unchanged, while media leaders from South Korea and elsewhere highlighted the growing importance of credibility, professional ethics and AI literacy.
The summit also showcased emerging technologies, including AI-powered media tools, authenticity verification systems and humanoid robot news anchors.
The overall message from delegates was clear: the future of journalism will depend on international cooperation, ethical safeguards, transparent standards and equitable access to AI technologies to support a more inclusive and trustworthy global media environment.
An event highlighting Beijing’s Central Axis was held in the historic Longfu Temple neighborhood featuring experiences showcasing intangible cultural heritage.
Kudos to the organizers of the 7th World Media Summit. This isn’t my first WMS, but I can confidently say that an atmosphere of camaraderie, peace, and joy prevailed throughout the entire summit. This kind of environment fosters collaboration and innovation. Bravo! I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Xinhua News Agency on its 95th anniversary.
