On September 11th, the first Interdisciplinary Salon on Science and Technology Communication of 2023 was held in the auditorium of the National Center for Science and Technology Communication. Centered around the topic “Generative AI and the New Landscape of Intelligent Communication”, seven guests from academia, industry, and media in relevant fields engaged in thematic discussions and interactive exchanges.
The salon was hosted by Chen Rui, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Communication Center of the China Association for Science and Technology, with prominent guests including Zhou Yong, Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China (RUC); Peng Lan, Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at RUC; Zhao Zizhong, Dean of the New Media Research Institute at Communication University of China; Yang Xiaodong, Director of the New Media Department at the School of Journalism and Communication at Shandong University; Fei Youwen, Deputy General Manager of the CCTV Network Business Group; Feng Hongsheng, a Senior Advisor at Tencent Research Institute; Yu Huan, Director of the Center for Technology and Society Research at Baidu; and many other experts and scholars who participated in the salon.
Chen Rui stated that the purpose of science and technology communication is to create value from scientific and technological innovations. The National Center for Science and Technology Communication is committed to promoting this communication and hopes to further promote the spirit of science, the results of technology, and the spread of innovation culture in the future.
Zhou Yong stated that GAI (Generative Artificial Intelligence) technology is no longer a concept of the future, but a tool of the present, and even more a way of thinking. The application and development prospects of technologies represented by GAI greatly need an open cross-boundary communication platform. This salon has built a bridge between academia and industry, prompting the industry to re-examine the production and dissemination of content and redefine science and technology communication.
During the thematic discussion, Peng Lan pointed out that content driven by GAI will undergo new changes in production, distribution, and consumption. Feng Hongsheng noted that the combination and application of new technologies with traditional industries can realize value-added and co-create the future with AI. Zhao Zizhong hopes that GAI will create a technological ecosystem that integrates data, models, and computational power to better meet user needs. Yu Huan, with the theme “The Upsurge of Large Models”, pointed out that the scalable replication of AI is a breakthrough. Yang Xiaodong, based on the era of production-oriented AI, reflected on the future of technology, noting that the productivity gap, value challenges, and decision risks brought by GAI are all worth being alert to and contemplating. Fei Youwen shared CCTV’s exploration of AIGC business, stating that AI-related products not only enrich the production, distribution, and consumption modes of communication content, but also fully empower the construction of intelligent media.
During the interactive exchange, the guests believed that future applications of AI in interpersonal communication need to pay attention to institutional constraints and also to maintaining traditional interpersonal communication. The direction of the frontier of science and technology communication in the construction of international communication brands and the value position of mainstream media also deserve attention. Lastly, the guests suggested that we should value the cultivation of talents in science and technology communication in the new era and the creation of a society that respects science, and advocate for the enhancement of the overall scientific literacy of society and the improvement of human social welfare through public exposure to science.
The “Interdisciplinary Salon on Science and Technology Communication” is hosted by the Science and Technology Communication Center of the China Association for Science and Technology. It is a series of events hosted by the center, with each salon revolving around a science and technology communication-related topic and inviting guests involved in the practice and theoretical research of science and technology communication to discuss interdisciplinary topics such as the communication of science, technology, and innovation culture, the integration of science and technology communication services with economic and social development, and the frontier theory and innovative practice of science and technology communication. The 2023 series of events are hosted by the School of Journalism and Communication at RUC.
