Technology Must Safeguard Civilisation, Says Chinese Academic
By Norsyafawati Ab Wahab & Lucia Terey John
KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 (Bernama) -- Technology must serve as a guardian of civilisation, safeguarding lives and bridging communication divides, a Chinese academician said on Friday.
Executive Dean of the Academy of International and Regional Communication Studies (AIRCS) at the Communication University of China, Zhou Ting said the importance of academia-driven technological innovation like DeepSeek was evident during the recent earthquake in Myanmar.
“After the earthquake in Myanmar, the Secretariat of China’s National Emergency Language Service, together with Beijing Language and Culture University, quickly formed a response team and developed an emergency translation platform within just seven hours,” she said during a plenary session of the ASEAN-China Media and Think Tank Forum held here Friday.
The ASEAN-China Media and Think Tank Forum, held in conjunction with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship, brought together media professionals, academics and policymakers to strengthen regional cooperation in media, education and communication.
The forum was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof. Also in attendance were Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, Secretary-General of the Communications Ministry Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa.
Bernama Chairman Wong Chun Wai, Bernama Chief Executive Officer Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, and Bernama Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj were also present.
Earlier, media outlets reported that China’s AI-powered translation platform, DeepSeek, had been deployed to assist Chinese rescue teams in earthquake-affected areas of Myanmar,offering real-time language assistance to aid emergency response efforts.
It was developed one day after a 7.7-magnitude quake struck Myanmar on March 28, at the request of a group of Chinese rescuers.
She emphasised that the incident demonstrated how technology, when empowered by academia, could be transformed into tools for saving lives and bridging language gaps.
Meanwhile, Professor at Tsinghua University and Chief Expert at the Institute for AI International Governance, Meng Qingguo said the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the global media industry, bringing both significant opportunities and serious challenges.
He noted that AI is making it easier to disseminate false information, such as deepfakes, which could undermine public trust in the media.
As a result, there is a growing need for better mechanisms to check facts and verify content.
To address these challenges, Meng stated that China and the European Union are increasing cross-border cooperation in areas such as data governance, privacy protection, and AI technical standards.
This includes an initiative to establish an AI-powered research lab to support media development and content monitoring.
Both parties are also promoting talent exchange programmes and joint training for media professionals to foster a better understanding of AI's role in journalism and storytelling.
"Comprehensive regulations on data use, privacy, and security are also underway to support cooperation which align with geopolitical strategies like the Belt and Road Initiative," he explained.
-- BERNAMA
