Article-Qian-Chengfei
Al is reshaping the global innovation ecosystem: The AAMA Silicon Valley Forum focuses on the structural transformation of digital media.
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The organizers posed with the speakers for a photo
Article by Reporter Qian Chengfei, January 19, 2026.
Against the backdrop of artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly permeating the content industry, capital markets, and global cultural systems, discussions about Al are shifting from a focus on technology and tools to more profound structural transformations. On January 16, 2026, the high-end forum hosted by AAMA Silicon Valley "Global Innovation, Al, and the Future of Digital Media" was held in Santa Clara, California, attracting nearly 100 industry leaders and professionals from the technology, media, content and investment sectors.
Dr. Sherry Hu, Mayor of Dublin, San Francisco Bay Area, and Lily Mei, former Mayor of Fremont, were present at the event to engage in discussions with guests from the global innovation ecosystem on the profound impact of Al on digital media and the global innovation landscape.
From "technological upgrading" to "systemic restructuring"
The forum focused on how Al is systematically transforming the ways content is produced, distributed, discovered, consumed, and monetized. Several attendees pointed out that as Al becomes deeply integrated into recommendation systems, content generation, and cross-language dissemination, digital media is undergoing a crucial transition from "tool upgrades" to "structural transformations."
Dr. Robert Lee, Chairman of AAMA Silicon Valley, and Nader Fathi, President of AAMA Silicon Valley, delivered opening remarks stating that Al is emerging as a central engine driving global industrial innovation and cross-sector convergence, with the media and content industries standing at the threshold of a new wave of transformation.
Dr. Gao Qun Yao delivers keynote speech
During the keynote speech, Dr. Jack Q. Gao, chairman of Whale TV Group in Singapore, former president of WeSoft China and former CEO of Legendary Pictures, delivered a keynote speech. He pointed out, "Al is not just a simple technological upgrade; it represents a systemic reformation of the ways in which content is created, distributed, discovered, consumed, and monetized." Dr. Gao provided a comprehensive review of the evolution of the media industry from PGC (Professional Content) to UGC (User- Generated Content) to AIGC (AI-Generated Content). He emphasized that in the age of Al, content will be generated in real-time, tailored to individual preferences, and continuously evolving. Imagination is emerging as a new core productive force. He also pointed out that smart televisions (Connected TVs) are becoming an important gateway for Al to enter households, connect content with commerce, and promote global cultural exchange.
Round Table Forum
High-level Roundtable Forum, chaired by Huijun Ring, Professor at Stanford University and Director of AAMA. As a long-time scholar in academia, academia, entrepreneurship, and global innovation exchange, she has repeatedly moved discussions from efficiency and scale to more long-term issues such as trust mechanisms, cultural differences, platform responsibility, and inter-generational impact.
Participants at the round table came from a variety of fields including global digital content platforms, international brand management, investment agencies and data infrastructure in emerging markets, including:
· Raymond Chung (Whale TV COO)
· Hans van Alebeek (Former Nike COO, Director Advisor and Investor)
· Bill King (Managing Partner at Movi Partners and former Managing Director at Morgan Chase)
· Tina Tsou (Chairman, InfiniEdge Al; Former Global Head of Technology and Influence, TikTok)
· Sanjeev Kumar (Investor, former head of R & D, India, BEA Systems)
The entire venue
The discussions at the forum focused on the four dimensions of platforms, content, capital and global markets. The guests generally agreed that Al has significantly lowered the barriers to content production and cross-market dissemination, but that the concentration of distribution power, algorithmic governance, and the risk of content homogenization have also become increasingly apparent. The key to future competition may no longer be technological leadership, but rather the ability to establish sustainable trust relationships and clear business logic.
As the host, AAMA (founded in 1979) demonstrated its consistent cross-border platform characteristics in this event. For nearly five decades, AAMA has continued to connect Asian-American technology entrepreneurs, multinational executives and investors in key innovation markets including the United States, China, and India.
Participants noted that, with Al technology becoming increasingly globalized and its application scenarios rapidly expanding, platforms that can simultaneously understand technological advancements, capital logic, and cultural differences are becoming even more crucial.
As the forum drew to a close, a consensus began to emerge: when Al is capable of rapidly generating content and solutions, what truly becomes scarce may not be the technology itself, but rather the ability to judge long-term implications. How to strike a balance between technological progress and social responsibility and how to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem in the context of globalization became the core issues of concern to many of the participants.
Industry experts believe that the direction of the discussions presented at the AAMA Silicon Valley Forum reflects the fact that some of Silicon Valley's innovative forces are reassessing the role of Al not just as a tool for driving growth, but also as a critical variable in reshaping global cultures, businesses, and governance systems.
(Translation by Weixin, edited by AAMA)
Photos by Reporter Qian Chengfei.
Posted with permission of UN International Radio, Film and Television News