Experts and academicians from around the world explored the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism, communication and the global mediascape at the Asia-Pacific Communication Forum 2024 that concluded in Macao on Sunday.

With the theme “AI Communication: Empowerment and Shared Future”, the forum gathered nearly 200 scholars and graduate students from China, particularly the Greater Bay Area, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

The annual conference set up 25 panels covering a wide range of subjects in the field of media and communication. One of the special panels on “Luso-language Media and the GBA” focused on the role of Macao in facilitating the GBA communication in the Portuguese language media environment.

The Asia-Pacific Communication Exchange Association (APCEA) and the Asia-Pacific Communication Forum Alliance (Macau) co-hosted the forum in collaboration with Centre for Macau Studies (CMS), University of Macau and the School of Communication at East China Normal University.

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The forum was conducted in a hybrid format, combining both online and offline sessions. Professor Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia and UNESCO Representative to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, People's Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea, delivered the keynote speech remotely on “Navigating Ethics and Promoting Empowerment in the Digital Age.”

Other prominent keynote speakers included Steve Guo, Professor of Hong Kong Baptist University; Chen Changfeng, Professor of School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University; Christina Elmer, Professor for Digital Journalism and Data Journalism at the TU Dortmund, Germany; Lu Xinyu, Zijiang Chair Professor, East China Normal University; Hu Xianhong, Project Specialist in the Communication and Information Sector at UNESCO; Joanne Lim, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Nottingham Malaysia; Lisa Li from University of Macau; and Wenny Cao, Executive Member of Macau Association of Internet Research (MAIR).

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Participants engaged in discussions on a wide array of topics, including media practices in the AI age, gender and media, media narratives and content production, international conflicts and cross-cultural communication, social media research, media and society, media governance, and fan culture and virtual communities.

They also tackled globalization and international communication, public health and health communication, digital platforms and society, news consumption and media transformation, live streaming and short videos in social media, frame, discourse and narrative, and digital economy and practices.

A Big Data workshop was held during the forum, introducing the use of generative AI tools to assist in content analysis research. Five student papers were selected and awarded the “Top Student Paper Prize”, provided by the academic research platform DiVoMiner.

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The event was sponsored by the Macao Foundation. Other support organizations include MIRA, Macau Film and Television Research Association with technical support from Tamai (Guangzhou) Information Technology Co, Ltd, and film and television support from Yingbei Cultural Media.