East-West Question丨Deng Hongsen: How can Dunhuang inspire creativity in the age of digital intelligence?

China News Service, Dunhuang, Gansu, November 7th. Question: How can Dunhuang, a thousand-year-old city, inspire creativity in the age of digital intelligence?

——Exclusive interview with Deng Hongsen, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization

China News Service reporters Ding Si and Xing Chong

Recently, the 2026 International Copyright Forum hosted by the National Copyright Administration of China and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was held in Dunhuang, Gansu. With the theme of "Copyright and Creative Industries in the Digital Intelligence Era - Protecting Cultural Heritage and Empowering Innovation and Creation", the forum launched a dialogue around the copyright opportunities and challenges brought by artificial intelligence, the protection and revitalization of cultural heritage, and the development of the creative economy.

Dunhuang, as the intersection of civilizations on the ancient Silk Road, has witnessed the exchange and mutual learning of different cultures, giving birth to brilliant artistic creations. Today, the rapid development of digital intelligence technology is profoundly changing the way cultural inheritance, innovation and dissemination are carried out.

What inspirations has the millennium of Dunhuang brought to creativity in the age of digital intelligence? How will intellectual property rights promote exchanges among civilizations? Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" in Dunhuang, explaining topics such as cultural inheritance, technological innovation and the protection of human creativity.

China News Service reporter: For thousands of years, different cultures have met and blended in Dunhuang, giving birth to unique artistic creations. In the era of digital intelligence, what enlightenment does the civilizational exchange and creative wisdom carried by Dunhuang have on today's copyright protection and the development of creative industries?

Deng Hongsen: Dunhuang has always been a place where different civilizations meet and merge. People from China, Central Asia, West Asia and even Europe trade here, bringing not only goods, but also their own stories, knowledge, beliefs, and different ways of looking at the world.

Trade creates connections between people, but these connections go far beyond commerce itself. It is in the interactions, exchanges and interactions between different groups of people that new ideas continue to emerge, different perspectives merge with each other, and ultimately a unique culture is born.

This still has important implications for today. For culture to remain viable, it needs communication and interaction. The copyright system can help different cultures maintain their own characteristics and identities while being more confident in communicating with other cultures.

Especially in the era of digital technology and artificial intelligence, creators need more confidence that their works can be protected and receive reasonable returns through copyright protection and authorization, so that they can continue to create. Protecting creators also protects the endless creativity of culture.

Reporter from China News Service: In recent years, the Dunhuang Academy has used digital intelligence technology to help ancient culture transcend time and space and go global. When traditional culture enters the digital space and becomes the material for artificial intelligence learning, how to balance cultural dissemination, innovative utilization and rights protection?

Deng Hongsen: "Digital Dunhuang" is an excellent example of technology empowering the protection and dissemination of cultural heritage. Not everyone can visit Dunhuang in person and appreciate the cave art and exquisite murals, but digital intelligence technology gives more people around the world the opportunity to learn about Dunhuang. This is exactly the value of science and technology serving cultural heritage.

In China, we also see more and more traditional culture reaching international audiences through new media forms. For example, games like "Black Myth: Wukong" introduce Chinese literature, history, culture and related historical relics to audiences around the world through the modern medium of video games.

If used properly, digital technology can become a bridge to connect different groups of people in new ways, allowing Chinese culture and Chinese stories to reach more global audiences. The key is that technology should empower culture, cultural heritage and human creators, keeping people at the heart of the intellectual property system.

Reporter from China News Service: Today, artificial intelligence is changing the way content is produced, and China’s online literature, games, film and television, animation, etc. are also constantly expanding into the international market. What do you think of the challenges artificial intelligence brings to the copyright system and China’s role in the development of the global creative economy?

Deng Hongsen: Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way people create, disseminate and consume content. It is not only a technology, but also has the potential to profoundly change human production and life like printing and electricity.

The ensuing copyright issues are very real. For example, should artificial intelligence companies be paid for using the works of writers, artists and other creators to train models? After artificial intelligence generates music, artistic works and other content, who should own the relevant rights and economic benefits? These issues are complex. We need to find the right balance between supporting technological innovation and protecting the rights of creators.

But at the same time, we should not only see artificial intelligence as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to empower and support a new generation of creators. One basic principle should be crystal clear: human creators must always be at the heart of the copyright and intellectual property system. Technology should not replace people, nor should it push people to the edge, but should empower, assist and support human creativity.

We also need to avoid artificial intelligence ultimately leading to a homogeneous culture. After entering the era of artificial intelligence, different civilizations and cultures should still maintain their diversity and continue to prosper and develop. If artificial intelligence can learn from materials from different regions and cultures in the world, then it can also draw on more diverse cultural resources when participating in new artistic expressions, instead of relying only on a certain cultural source.

China provides an interesting example of how the creative economy, cultural heritage and digital economy can be combined with each other. We have already seen that some digital platforms in China are introducing Chinese culture to the rest of the world through new content forms such as movies, music, and stories.

In fact, this is also a global trend. For example, Poland's game "The Witcher" series draws inspiration from the country's historical culture and story resources; some animation and game companies in Saudi Arabia are also introducing their country's culture to the world through digital content.

We are seeing new convergences between the creative economy, cultural heritage and digital technologies. This integration not only brings new cultural experiences to audiences, but also creates new jobs, income sources and economic opportunities. I believe this will be an important part of the next phase of development of the global creative economy.

Reporter from China News Service: The ancient Silk Road spanned mountains and seas, promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations. Today, digital networks allow cultural creativity to spread around the world instantly. If the digital network has built a "Digital Silk Road", what does the intellectual property system need to protect most in the future?

Deng Hongsen: Creation and expression are very important parts of human nature. From ancient cave art, to stone tools, to musical instruments made from bones, humans have been creating for tens of thousands of years, and probably even before that.

The important role of the copyright system is to support this innate human spirit of creation and expression. Even in the age of artificial intelligence and digital technology, the copyright system must continue to support this spirit. Otherwise, we risk losing something extremely precious and fundamental to humanity.

Technology will continue to change. Even though artificial intelligence may be a major technological change that only occurs once in hundreds of years, it is still a technology after all; and the human creative spirit has been with us for hundreds of thousands of years, and it is more fundamental and more durable than any specific technology.

Therefore, the role of the intellectual property system is not to reject or exclude new technologies, but to ensure that these technologies ultimately serve human creation, expression, and connection, so that technology becomes a force that supports human creativity rather than replaces it.