Over 300 experts gather for technology-culture forum in Beijing

More than 300 technology and culture industry professionals attended the inaugural Forum on the Integration and Innovation of Technology and Culture in Beijing last week to explore how the two sectors can work together.

The Sept. 13-14 forum was held as part of the fourth World Frontier Science and Technology Conference during the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), creating a platform for cross-disciplinary exchange.

Distinguished guests launch the Forum on the Integration and Innovation of Technology and Culture in Beijing, Sept. 13, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Beijing Only True Technology]

Participants focused on how traditional culture can guide technological innovation and how technology can shape cultural development. Experts also discussed how integrating the two sectors supports the development of new quality productive forces.

Li Deyi, a Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) academician and artificial intelligence expert, said in his keynote speech that humanity is entering the AI era, which he called the third cognitive revolution.

"By the middle of this century, leveraging advancements in brain science research, unconscious brain-inspired intelligence will be developed, forming a new generation of interactive, learnable and evolvable artificial intelligence," Li said. "This technology will consistently serve humanity in accordance with human-defined intentions."

"In the age of intelligence, the development of human civilization should enable humans to leverage their wisdom while machines exercise their artificial intelligence," the academician envisioned. "Human wisdom ought to nurture machine imagination and creativity, while the outcomes of machine-powered brute-force thinking and innovative cognition should, in turn, feed back to humanity, forming a virtuous cycle of iterative progress. This is where the value of human life truly manifests."

Wang Zili, another CAE academician, said technology-culture integration drives the development of new quality productive forces.

"Quality reflects a nation's comprehensive strength and level of civilization, embodying humanity's labor, creativity, and wisdom, as well as people's aspirations and pursuit of a better life," Wang added.

He said a culture of high-quality development that emphasizes quality and efficiency "is precisely the product of integrated innovation between modern technology and advanced culture."

Wang also proposed a collaborative technological change lever for quality design that treats diseases before they occur — reliability systems engineering — to achieve a leap in quality technology from 1.0 to 3.0 through the "three full quality concept" of full characteristics, full life cycle, and full system.

Beyond discussions, the forum featured exhibitions and cultural activities. The event displayed more than 10 technological achievements, including a naked-eye 3D digital space station, intelligent thermal radiation diagnostic systems, 3D-printed artifacts and a maintenance vehicle combining human operator robot.

Calligraphy and painting works highlighting innovation were also exhibited, and cultural and technology representatives presented joint artistic performances.

According to organizer Beijing Only True Technology Co., the forum discussed and revised a draft national standard on electronic product safety connections and compiled more than 30 academic papers.

The workshop also developed measures and recommendations for technology-culture integration, with plans to establish an exchange alliance. The alliance would provide institutional support for deeper collaboration between the two sectors.