The 8th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo opened on Sept 21 in Gansu province, attracting over 1,000 guests from 97 countries and eight international organizations. This year's theme, "Strengthening Cultural Exchange and Promoting Mutual Learning Among Civilizations", was a perfect venue for China to showcase the groundbreaking AI applications being used to digitally preserve Dunhuang's cultural heritage.

Scholars emphasized the vital importance of cross-border collaboration and shared examples of joint research with Chinese and global partners that produced innovative solutions to ancestral academic challenges. They demonstrated how AI is transforming cultural dialogue, making multicultural treasures, like Dunhuang, accessible worldwide through the use of technology. The participants agreed that in-person international exchanges remain an irreplaceable forum for breaking down barriers and building a global academic community.