WIC hosts side event on AI for World Heritage in ROK

A side event under the theme AI for World Heritage: Transforming Preservation for the Future was held in Busan, the Republic of Korea, on July 26, during the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee. 

The event was co-hosted by the Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization of the World Internet Conference (WIC), Tencent Sustainable Social Value Organization (SSV) and the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation (CFCHC).

H.E. Yang Xinyu, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the People’s Republic of China to UNESCO; Xiao Li, Deputy Director of the Department of World Cultural Heritage at the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China, and a WIC official attended the event. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and Chen Juhong, vice-president of Tencent and head of Tencent Sustainable Social Value Organization delivered remarks. Lyu Zhou, co-chair of the WIC Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization and professor at Tsinghua University, moderated the event.

Prominent guests shared their insights on innovative practices, emerging applications and paths for international cooperation in using AI to support world heritage protection. Speakers included Ahmed Rehema, assistant to the minister of tourism and antiquities of Arab Republic of Egypt; Zhan Changfa, co-chair of the WIC Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization and former vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage; Dmitriy Voyakin, member of the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ICESCO and heritage consultant for the CAAL Project at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London; and Chen Dong, head of technology, Tencent Games.

An interactive AI robot display was also featured during the event, presenting innovative applications of AI in human-machine interaction, cultural communication and related areas.

Experts noted that AI is bringing profound changes to the concepts, technical approaches and communication methods used in cultural heritage protection. Applications of digital technologies, including digital documentation, intelligent analysis, risk monitoring, virtual restoration and immersive displays, are opening up new possibilities for enhancing heritage protection, deepening understanding of heritage values and promoting public awareness and participation, they said. 

At the same time, the use of AI in the cultural heritage sector faces challenges involving data security, technological compatibility, shortages of skilled professionals, and the digital divide, making it necessary to strengthen international cooperation and jointly explore responsible approaches to applying the technology, according to the speakers.

Going forward, a WIC representative said, the WIC Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization will continue to leverage its role as an international platform for exchanges and cooperation. It will bring together government departments, international organizations, cultural heritage institutions and museums, universities, research institutes, enterprises and other stakeholders to promote experience-sharing and practical cooperation in cultural heritage digitalization, contributing to the protection, transmission and use of humanity’s shared heritage and to exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.