The International Conference on “New Media and Future Arts” was recently held at the Qiántáng Campus of Communication University of Zhejiang (CUZ). Focusing on themes such as future art, future media and communication, AI art and ethics, and digital ecology in relation to media archaeology, the conference gathered renowned scholars from the fields of philosophy, art studies, artificial intelligence, and media research, engaging in an in-depth intellectual dialogue.
Opening Remarks
CUZ President Wei Lu delivered the opening address. He first extended heartfelt appreciation to the conference convener, Professor Sun Zhouxing, Dunhe Chair Professor, Director of the Library of Zhejiang University, and Dean of the Institute of Future Philosophy at Zhejiang University. He also expressed sincere gratitude to all supporting institutions.
President Wei emphasized that the conference centers around three core themes—future-oriented vision, interdisciplinary integration, and social engagement—aiming to explore diversified pathways for the development of “new media and future arts.” The discussions, he noted, will contribute to aligning theoretical innovation with practical social issues, thereby advancing cultural prosperity, civilizational exchange, and holistic social progress.
Keynote Speeches
Scholars from both China and abroad delivered keynote presentations addressing questions at the heart of the conference theme, including:
l What is “future art” in the age of artificial intelligence?
l Why does contemporary art place increasing emphasis on media rather than purely form and content?
l How will emerging media technologies reshape artistic practices and human experience?
l In an era where “everyone can create,” who or what is the artist—the individual or the machine?
l How can humanity find its existential grounding amid these transformations?
Professor Karl Kraatz (Zhejiang University) opened the keynote session with “The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Producibility.” Drawing on Walter Benjamin’s concept of aura, he argued that while AI enhances the reproducibility of artworks, it also weakens the ties between creator and creation, diminishing experiential value. He suggested that the question is not whether AI-generated works should be considered art, but rather how our existing experiential standards for art are being altered.
Professor Li Wenbing (Vice President, CUZ) delivered a talk titled “New Arts, New Communication, and New Forms of Existence in the Age of AI.” She discussed how contemporary media technologies reshape artistic forms, communication practices, and digital existence, stressing the need to remain vigilant as art risks being reduced to computable and replaceable reproductions.
Professor Stelarc (Australia) presented “Contingent and Contestable Futures: The Other, The Absent and The Uncertain.” He argued that in the digital age, the human body has evolved from a closed biological entity into an extended interactive system. The future, he stressed, remains open, unpredictable, and meaningful precisely because of its uncertainty.
Professor Joanna Zylinska (King’s College London) spoke on “Media Art After AI,” analyzing how media art may transform once the current wave of AI enthusiasm stabilizes. She suggested that future creative practices may reshape conventional understandings of human creativity and artistic education.
Professor Assadour Markarov (China Academy of Art) delivered “The Encounter of Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art in Today’s Digital Age,” emphasizing the role of fiber art in bridging human creativity and place-based cultural memory.
Professor Huang Houming (Nanjing University of the Arts) discussed the reconstruction of authenticity and artistic value in Chinese painting in the AI era, proposing a collaborative model where human creativity remains the cognitive core while AI serves as the extended “external brain.”
Professor Rao Jian (Hubei University of Technology) reviewed interdisciplinary AI art practice over the past decade, calling for digital transformation in art education.
Professor Sun Zhouxing (Zhejiang University) delivered the concluding keynote “Is Life Just an Algorithm? — A Critique of Dataism,” questioning whether life and consciousness can be reduced to data flows and arguing that the future of the humanities depends on resisting algorithmic reductionism.
Parallel Sessions
Three parallel panels were held, addressing:
· Future Arts and Future Communication
· Reconstructing Contemporary Media Theory
· AI Art and Ethics
· Multidimensional Perspectives on Future Art
· Digital Ecologies and Media Archaeology
Discussions explored AIGC narrative design, media philosophy, cross-media experimentation, bio-art, tactile interfaces, and philosophical reconsiderations in the digital era.
Significance of the Conference
The conference brought together young scholars from 17 universities, including Zhejiang University, Nanjing University, China Academy of Art, Beijing Normal University, and Communication University of China. Their contributions demonstrated strong academic sensitivity and creative theoretical insight.
This event showcased CUZ’s forward-looking vision in integrating art, media, and interdisciplinary research, strengthened academic exchange, and further enhanced the university’s national and international visibility in the fields of art, communication, and media innovation.
