Latest news with #31stBeijingInternationalBookFair
Borneo Post
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Borneo Post
"Even if AI out-writes me, I'll keep writing" — Chinese novelist Mai Jia wrestles with creative anxiety of AI age
People visit the 31st Beijing International Book Fair at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin) BEIJING (June 25): At the 2025 Beijing International Book Fair, a forum probing writers' perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) saw Chinese author Mai Jia take the stage in a light beige jacket. Sitting alongside three other panelists, the celebrated novelist — best known for his espionage fiction and a recipient of the prestigious Mao Dun Literature Prize — offered an unusually personal and philosophical take on how AI is encroaching on the realm of human creativity. His reflections touch on a deeper unease shared by writers and artists around the world: how to situate human creativity in a time when machines are learning to imitate — and even threatening to outpace — human imagination. 'I've never really used AI,' the novelist said. 'But I've played with it. And I played with the intent of proving it's not worth playing with.' His remarks drew laughter, but it was evident that he was serious about the mindset behind his experiment. 'I approached it with distrust. I hoped to mock it. And to a certain extent, I succeeded in doing that, so I never really used it.' Reports that AI had been used to generate fiction in his style and that Mai Jia himself had somehow contributed to its development were, in his words, 'pure rumor.' 'I never demonstrated anything. I never helped build such a thing,' he said plainly. For the novelist, the rise of AI isn't just a question about the future — it's a reckoning with the past. 'When we talk about AI, we think we're talking about the future. But that's not the wise thing to do,' he said. 'AI has a surging, even violent vitality. It's coming at us like a monster, like a giant we can't stop, and we have no idea where it's going or what it will become.' He suggested that rather than speculating about the future of AI, people should examine its roots and view it as the culmination of a long 'digital revolution.' In his view, this revolution began when numbers first entered human language. Roughly 5,000 years ago, 'when early writing systems emerged, numbers were a part of them. But numbers were never content to remain just a part of writing. They've always wanted to rebel.' The writer traces the first major turning point back to 1837, with the invention of Morse code — 'a great technology created by a great man,' he said — which allowed a message to be transmitted across oceans using only digits. This, for Mai Jia, marked the first true success of the digital revolution. But it came at a cost. 'Digital encoding brought us immense convenience. A message could travel from China to Europe or the United States within a morning. But it also introduced trouble,' he said. 'It brought cryptography. It dissolved language. It turned language into a puzzle, an obstacle.' A person uses DeepSeek app on a mobile phone on Feb. 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Later came the second wave — computers, developed in the mid-20th century through the foundational work of figures like John von Neumann and Alan Turing. 'Instead of converting writing into ten digits, they reduced it to just two: zero and one,' he said. This, he argued, was a more complete digitization than Morse code ever achieved. The benefits were vast — 'an entire library can now fit in a screen, a single phone' — but so were the downsides. 'When that screen is in your hand, yes, it holds endless text. But it also drains your time, digs into your greed, and pulls you downward,' he said. 'It disintegrates your attention. It exaggerates your desire to sink.' The third wave, the novelist believes, is AI. And it's the most transformative yet. 'For the first time, we are talking not just about reading or attention, but about writing itself. Before, no one imagined that technology could replace the human mind in creating.' He said that today's AI revolution has created something new: a creative anxiety disorder. 'I don't know how this revolution will evolve. But here's what I do know: Even if AI defeats me, even if every word it writes is better than mine, I will still write,' he said. 'Not because I want to compete with it. But because writing is how I survive. If I don't read, if I don't write, I don't know how to live.' He ended with a quiet but firm conviction: 'If AI writes better than me, I'll write. If I write better than it — of course, I'll write.' – Xinhua artificial intelligence China novelist writer
Al Etihad
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Emirati folk arts captivate audience at Beijing International Book Fair
19 June 2025 11:50 BEIJING (WAM) The United Arab Emirates House pavilion is drawing strong visitor engagement at the Beijing International Book Fair, presenting Emirati heritage through cultural and traditional part of the Fair's accompanying activities, the Al Ayala band presented live performances that showcased the authenticity of Emirati folk arts and traditional Arab customs, fostering an atmosphere of cultural events aim to promote greater interest in Emirati literature, culture, and heritage, in support of the broader efforts of the UAE pavilion at the pavilion also showcases a diverse collection of publications that contribute to strengthening cooperation with China's publishing industry, while opening new avenues for effective partnerships across the country's cultural and creative initiative underscores the role of intellectual and literary exchange, alongside folk arts, as a bridge for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. The 31st Beijing International Book Fair, which opened on Wednesday at the China National Convention Centre, will continue until June 22.
Malaysia Sun
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malaysia Sun
220,000 books on display at Beijing expo
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The 31st Beijing International Book Fair opened here on Wednesday, displaying around 220,000 books from China and abroad. Over 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions participated in the event, which will run through June 22, with Malaysia as this year's guest country of honor.
Malaysia Sun
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malaysia Sun
CHINA-BEIJING-INT'L BOOK FAIR-OPENING (CN)
Xinhua 18 Jun 2025, 14:15 GMT+10 (250618) -- BEIJING, June 18, 2025 (Xinhua) -- People visit the 31st Beijing International Book Fair at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2025. The 31st Beijing International Book Fair opened here on Wednesday, displaying around 220,000 books from China and abroad. Over 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions participated in the event, which will run through June 22, with Malaysia as this year's guest country of honor. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
Malaysia Sun
18-06-2025
- Business
- Malaysia Sun
1st LD-Writethru: 220,000 books on display at Beijing book fair
Xinhua 18 Jun 2025, 18:46 GMT+10 BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The 31st Beijing International Book Fair opened here on Wednesday, displaying around 220,000 books from China and abroad. Over 1,700 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions participated in the event, which will run through June 22, with Malaysia as this year's guest country of honor. Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, visited and researched the book fair on Wednesday. More than 20 countries, including France, Germany and Japan, have set up national exhibition stands at the book fair. Springer Nature, Penguin Random House, Wiley and over 20 other major international publishing houses have participated in the event offline, showcasing a curated selection of foreign-language books. The book fair also highlights digital publishing, with leading Chinese companies such as Tencent, Douyin and NetEase showcasing their achievements in online literature and gaming.
