The Communication Forum for the 12th Tianjin University World Alumni Congress Was Held

　　On April 22nd, the Communication Forum for the 12th Tianjin University World Alumni Congress was held in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. This was the first communication forum held within the series of Tianjin University World Alumni Congress. With the theme of “AI and Communication in Transformation: Grasping New Trends and Generating New Momentum”, the forum invited senior scholars and industry guests to jointly explore new concepts, methods, and forms of communication relying on intelligent technology in the new media era, telling China’s stories and voicing Tianjin University’s perspectives.

　　Attendees included Gong Jinlong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Tianjin University; Yang Huan, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Director of Publicity Department of Tianjin University; Liu Yaochang, former principal assistant of Tianjin University; Wang Rongtai, Standing Director of the Tianjin University Alumni Association, President of the Tianjin University Changzhou Alumni Association, and former Editor-in-Chief of China Newspaper Digest; Zhao Feifei, Co-founder and Vice President of Beijing Zhongke Wenge Technology Co., Ltd.; Ji Xiangting, Deputy Director of Baidu University Cooperation Department; Professor Lu Xiaohua, Dean of the School of New Media and Communication at Tianjin University; Professor Wang Zan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of New Media and Communication at Tianjin University. The forum was hosted by Xi Hongbin, a renowned humanities writer and independent scholar who is also an alumnus of Tianjin University.

　　Gong Jinlong extended a warm welcome to all experts and guests on behalf of the university. He stated that new technologies are shaping a new era of intelligent media, and AI and communication in transformation is generating new momentum. AI and communication is not only a new track for leveraging Tianjin University’s engineering strengths but also a new business model in the field of Journalism and Communication. Gong encouraged alumni to pay attention to the development of the School of New Media and Communication and continue to provide suggestions and ideas for the university’s development. The alma mater will work together with alumni to make new and greater contributions to building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese path to modernization.

　　Lu Xiaohua delivered a keynote speech. He elaborated on the significant value of urban civilization—modern cities are unique carriers of human civilization’s creative achievements, and incubators and engines for fostering human innovation and creativity. At the same time, he pointed out that the essence of urban image-building is to “continuously establish and strengthen the material and spiritual connections with people”. Lu also shared his thoughts of the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on “inheriting traditional Chinese culture”, encouraging the audience to uphold the Chinese cultural standpoint and accelerate the construction of a narrative system of Chinese discourse.

　　Wang Rongtai shared his thoughts on the transformation and upgrading paths for traditional media in the era of AI and communication, emphasizing the need to explore deep media integration to revitalize traditional media. Ji Xiangting delivered a keynote speech. She took Baidu’s 5 Million AI Talents Training Program as an example to share what professional skills talents should focus on in the AI era. Zhao Feifei showcased the application results of multi-modal content generation technology and its impact on the development of intelligent media communication to the audience. Wang Zan delivered a keynote report, introducing the School’s development and strengths and characteristics in recent years to the attendees and sharing his thoughts on strengthening the construction of the all-media communication system and promoting the formation of a fine Internet ecology.

　　As one of the youngest schools at Tianjin University, the School of New Media and Communication adheres to the exploration of a new liberal arts development direction featuring “the integration of liberal arts and engineering”. The school is welcoming the advent of the new era of AI and communication with a fresh look, committed to further advancing media technology innovation, promoting innovative development in the media industry, telling the stories of Tianjin University and China, enhancing global media communication effectiveness, and jointly injecting new momentum, opening up new spaces, and creating new opportunities for building a community with a shared future for mankind.