Artificial intelligence is sweeping across the globe, profoundly transforming the way information is produced, shared, and consumed. At the ongoing APEC Asia-Pacific Media Forum, AI has become a central topic of discussion, painting a new vision of regional collaboration powered by intelligent technology and anchored in mutual trust.

Speakers at the forum highlighted how AI is reshaping media workflows, fostering open industrial ecosystems, and upgrading regional cooperation from simple connectivity to deeper integration. The path forward, they argue, lies in combining technological innovation with institutional cooperation that benefits all economies.

From Print to Cloud: AI's Role in Transforming Media

TAN HAN KOON, chief editor of Malaysia's Sin Chew Daily, described the transformation through his own experience: "In the past, we relied on interviews, editing, and distribution. Today, a journalist in Kuala Lumpur can complete an interview and the material reaches Beijing, Bangkok, or Jakarta within minutes, with content simultaneously published across different language platforms." He noted that this shift is not just technical but also collaborative, as cross-border media partnerships—through joint reporting, co-produced documentaries, and content sharing—have evolved from occasional projects into daily practice. "Media cooperation," he said, "has sometimes become a working habit rather than a formal agreement."

As technological barriers collapse, the boundaries between media and industry are also dissolving. Zhang Zhian, director of the Center for Communication and State Governance at Fudan University, believes media and industry are forming closer ties. "Film, publishing, animation, gaming, tourism, cultural products, and digital content are themselves industries. When content, talent, technology, and capital flow freely across borders, industrial cooperation becomes a vehicle for people-to-people exchange."

Building an Open, AI-Powered Innovation Ecosystem

If communication innovation represents the "soft link," industrial collaboration provides the "hard support." Hao Tianyong, a professor at South China Normal University, called for greater regional coordination: "AI is a shared opportunity for the region. Rather than engaging in isolated technological races, open and inclusive ecosystem collaboration, interoperable standards, and shared application practices will truly make AI a lasting engine for high-quality development in the region."

Xie Yegen, vice president of Rongjie Group, echoed this view from the corporate perspective: "AI is rapidly moving out of laboratories and deeply integrating into the real economy, offering all Asia-Pacific economies a common opportunity for industrial upgrading. A region's core competitiveness now comes not only from single-point technological breakthroughs but also from building open innovation ecosystems that efficiently align technology, talent, capital, and industry scenarios."

Among the hidden costs of cross-border cooperation are differences in language, formats, and work habits. Chinese office software is stepping in to address these. With built-in AI features embedded directly into documents, users can translate, proofread, and format within a single interface, boosting cross-regional collaboration efficiency. Gong Daojun, vice president of Kingsoft Office Group, said: "WPS's AI features now support over 100 languages. In Southeast Asia, our product tops local business app charts, and in the Middle East, we've tailored AI functionality for Arabic-language users."

Trust as Anchor: The Mission of Media in an AI Era

Another key focus of the forum was how to solidify trust amid the rapid rise of AI. Xue Li, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, suggested that Asia-Pacific regional economic cooperation should move from "interconnectivity" to "inter-chain connectivity." This means upgrading from information transmission to trusted value exchange, with a shift from the current internet toward a "network-of-networks" that addresses issues such as data monopolies, privacy concerns, and high cross-border trust costs. Such a transformation, he argued, would open new dimensions for regional industrial cooperation and advance the goal of common prosperity.

Felix Paz, news director of Peru's National Publishing Group and head of the Andina News Agency, said: "AI is changing how information is produced, distributed, and consumed. While technology enables instant translation, big-data analytics, tailored content, and greater proximity between media and society, no technology can replace the responsibility of journalists. Credibility remains the lifeblood of media." Under these conditions, he stressed, the media's role in building consensus becomes even more vital: "We carry a great responsibility—to move from dialogue to understanding, from understanding to trust, and from trust to consensus. This is our shared mission."