HARIANEXPRESS – Media professionals gathered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the industry and what it means for traditional newsrooms, (10/9/2026).
Artificial intelligence has fundamentally shifted conversations around media transformation by generating content rapidly and translating it into multiple languages. This technological shift brought together more than 400 representatives from over 40 countries and regions for the Asia-Pacific Media Forum.
The event opened on Sept. 5 with the theme “Building a Path to Shared Prosperity for the Asia-Pacific Community: Media Consensus and Action.” Attendees weighed the benefits of technology against the irreplaceable value of human journalists.
Zahir Shah Sherazi, head of BOL News in Pakistan, emphasized the necessity of human involvement in reporting.
“You still need physical presence to put in emotions,…Machines cannot replace humans,”
he said according to Shenzhen Daily. He advocates for journalist training in AI-assisted reporting rather than fearing the technology.
Donovan Ralph Martin, CEO and editor-in-chief of Canada’s The Daily Scrum News, noted that newsrooms avoiding technology risk falling behind. However, he warned that the technology
“is as good as the people using it,”
highlighting the continued need for human interaction.
Muhammad Ashraf, editor-in-chief of Pakistan’s Daily Mashriq Lahore, stressed the necessity of adaptation.
“Change is the only permanent thing in the world, So accept the challenge of change, and go with it,” Ashraf stated.
Nang Calyar Win, CEO of Myanmar’s Asian Fame Media Group, compared the technology to a mirror.
“AI is like a reflection of everybody.” Win added, “The AI depends on the user.”
Ahead of the official opening, Shenzhen Daily and Pakistan’s Daily Kasoti signed a memorandum of understanding on content production cooperation in less than 24 hours on Sept. 4. The Shenzhen publication also reached agreements with outlets from Canada, Russia, and Myanmar during the event.
