Beijing summit adopts "Beijing Consensus" on AI for global media

The seventh World Media Summit in Beijing concluded with delegates endorsing the "Beijing Consensus", a joint framework that lays out coordinated guidelines for the safe use of artificial intelligence (AI) across global newsrooms.

The document urges an urgent move from theoretical debate to concrete measures for integrating AI into editorial workflows while preserving professional credibility and ethical reporting standards. Signatories also prioritise the joint development of technological tools to verify the authenticity of digital content as a central defence against disinformation and manipulated media.

Summit calls for global governance and cross‑civilisational dialogue

Organisers and participants said the Consensus aims to strengthen dialogue between civilizations and to promote a global governance framework that ensures advanced technologies serve peace, security and overall social development. The summit took up the practical challenge of balancing innovation with safeguards to protect public trust in news.

About 500 representatives from roughly 330 institutions across 112 countries and regions attended, including media organisations, research centres, government agencies, the United Nations and other international bodies. The main theme centred on integrating AI in newsrooms and the ethical dilemmas that come with the technology.

At the opening of the summit on Thursday it was emphasised that: "to see is no longer necessarily to believe." Delegates presented new verification tools and research aimed at authenticating digital photographs and videos as a direct response to the spread of disinformation and so‑called cognitive warfare.

Xinhua demonstrated several practical AI applications during the event, unveiling what it described as the world's first bionic humanoid television anchors and an AI agent based on its newsroom lexicon. The agency also showcased an integrated data system, saying it has embedded more than 200 smart tools across journalistic operations—from story planning to real‑time distribution.

Photo: press material from the event