On May 22, 2024, Suzhou - Microsoft Start Networks China Content Ecosystem Partner Summit was successfully held at Microsoft's new campus in Suzhou. At the invitation of Dr. Zhang Qibo, Senior Vice President of Microsoft Global and Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft Asia Pacific Research Group, the Microsoft Start Networks Content Industry Summit came to China for the first time. This also marked the first time Microsoft hosted a partner summit for an important market. Ms. Tu Weiqing, Senior Vice President of Microsoft Global, along with the core team of Microsoft Start Networks, came to Suzhou to share cutting-edge insights with leading enterprises and industry colleagues in the Chinese content ecosystem, discussing the future development and innovative opportunities in the content ecosystem industry.
AI empowers the content industry, leading the paradigm shift. With the rapid development of Large Language Models (LLMs) and various Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) applications, the ecosystem of the content industry is accelerating its reconstruction. As a key participant and experiential innovator in the global content industry, Microsoft is committed to building a robust content ecosystem - Microsoft Start Networks - under technological iteration, empowering the cross-regional flow and innovation of high-quality content. Through this grand event, Microsoft aims to connect more users and industry partners, deeply explore the creative paradigms and evolutionary possibilities of high-quality Chinese content in the AI era, collaborate with Chinese content creators for mutual success, and jointly promote the future development of the content industry ecosystem.
Guiding the development of the digital content industry under the wave of AI: 3 major themes exploring the forefront of digital transformation
Reconstructing the global content ecosystem
Against the backdrop of AI technological innovation driving the evolving demands of users, to meet the diverse and personalized needs of over 1.4 billion global users of Microsoft Start Networks for high-quality content, Microsoft's Microsoft Start Networks platform deeply integrates three major transformations: AI-supported personalized content recommendations, the creation of large-scale platforms with hundreds of millions of users, and content expansion. Tu Weiqing, Microsoft's Senior Vice President, Global, stated in the keynote speech "Building a Global Content Ecosystem, Leading the Attention Revolution": "With its high purchasing power user base, Microsoft Start Networks covers a wide consumer market and has successfully attracted the attention of enterprise users. In the future, Microsoft Start Networks will lead the attention revolution through innovative user interfaces, and look forward to collaborating with content creators to integrate high-quality, creative, deep, and strongly resonant content into the core experience of the Windows system, effectively conveying the value of content."
▲ Microsoft's Senior Vice President, Tu Weiqing
AI Drives New Upgrades in Production Efficiency and User Experience
In the theme sharing session titled "Intelligent Future: New Era Opportunities Led by Microsoft AI," Wei Qing, Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft China, delved into the new opportunities in AI-enabled content industry innovation. By showcasing application cases of cutting-edge Microsoft AI technology, Wei Qing emphasized the practical role of AI technology in enhancing the intelligence of the content industry value chain, improving production efficiency, and enhancing user experience. He stated, "The AI tools provided by Microsoft are just the starting point of the new era. The core of technological evolution still revolves around people, aiming to create a beautiful vision for the future of humanity. Based on this, Microsoft appreciates and respects the value of every content creator, cherishes and pays attention to every user's needs, and is committed to providing powerful and innovative tools for content creators, empowering and inspiring their creativity and innovation, to bring users a whole new experience."
The Collision of Thoughts on Content Industry Transformation and Opportunities
During the roundtable discussion on "The Creative Engine in the Digital Era," Microsoft's Global Partner Wang Ying, together with iQIYI's Chief Technology Officer Liu Wenfeng, Bilibili's Public Policy Research Institute Director Lu Yajun, and Microsoft's Global Partner Wu Zhong, delved into in-depth discussions on current opportunities and future trends in the content industry, the application of AI technology in the content industry, business model innovation, industry sustainability, diversity, and inclusivity. The guests shared their respective companies' successful experiences and insights in AI applications, user emotional connections, and cultural integration.
Liu Wenfeng shared iQIYI's exploration and practical insights in AI applications, stating, "Currently, competition in the content industry is intensifying, the cycle for validating good ideas is shortening, and the boundaries between works and products are becoming blurrier. In this context, the quality of creativity and content excellence becomes more crucial. The emergence of AI will help creators unleash their imagination, enhance production levels, and efficiency. However, regardless of technological advancements, the priority should still be on professional content creators elevating their creative standards."
Lu Yajun shared Bilibili's successful experiences in establishing emotional connections with young users and balancing local culture with international contexts. She mentioned, "Bilibili has been committed to providing quality content and services for young people. For example, through the creation of educational content from the perspectives of bloggers like 'Zhihui Jun' and 'Hello, I'm Student He,' emotional connections are forged with users, accelerating the dissemination of scientific knowledge. We also see content creators continuously producing high-quality content that transcends cultural boundaries, balancing local cultural characteristics with global audience acceptance, connecting users worldwide. In this process, modern technological tools empower content creators to achieve cultural innovation and promote global user participation in cultural integration."
Wu Zhong highlighted, "The large-scale models of AI technology lead to democratization in a workshop style, empowering creators to enhance their creative standards and capture user attention. Focusing on the attention revolution of users, the future content industry needs to 'be globally rooted and adapt to local customs,' creatively meeting user needs based on an understanding of localized content."
Empowering Partners, Co-creating Ecosystem
During the afternoon session of the summit, Microsoft's Chief Product Manager Xiong Ziqing shared practical advice on content monetization. Approaching from the perspective of empowering partners, she delved into how to leverage new tools and insights provided by Microsoft Start Networks to enhance content attractiveness and user engagement. She emphasized that high-quality content will continue to be prioritized in the "content is king" trend, urging content creators to constantly improve their creative abilities.
Crossing Boundaries: International Perspectives and Innovation
Microsoft Global Partner Wang Ying introduced the innovative experience of Microsoft Start Networks, tailored to provide breakthrough display solutions for Chinese partners, opening up new business opportunities and driving rapid growth in the content industry. For instance, in the field of content marketing, assisting partners in innovating with an international perspective to firmly grasp audience preferences and uncover potential customer demands. She revealed that Microsoft will launch more innovative and practical features, dynamically adjust designs, consistently offer high-quality diverse content, and meet the expectations of a wide user base.
Co-creating the Future, Winning Together in the Industry
Microsoft is committed to empowering content industry value chain partners with technology, building an open industry ecosystem. Nine new partners from different fields signed cooperation agreements with Microsoft on-site, collectively driving the development of the Chinese content industry.
At the summit, Microsoft signed contracts with partners to thank them for their long-term collaboration in advancing the content industry ecosystem. Microsoft designed awards such as "Annual Impact," "Most Innovative Award," and "Annual Partner Grand Award" based on dimensions like influence, innovation, and partners' driving force in the content industry across different sectors. Nikhil Kolar, Microsoft's Vice President, Global, expressed during the award ceremony: "We appreciate all partners for collaborating with Microsoft in driving technological innovation, expanding content markets, and providing exceptional user experiences. We look forward to continuing to explore boundaries and co-create a healthy content industry ecosystem together."
Microsoft's Senior Vice President, Tu Weiqing, stated in his closing speech, "Just like the dancing butterfly in the Microsoft Start Networks brand logo, Microsoft undergoes a metamorphosis on its exploratory journey with a spirit of constant transformation, leading global users across cultural and geographical boundaries to experience the fusion of cultures, innovative content, and vitality. We look forward to working with high-quality Chinese content creators and partners to capture the attention of every user creatively and meet their personalized needs."
Microsoft is committed to being a strong support for the content industry ecosystem, inspiring content creators' creative ideas, continuously driving the practical application of cutting-edge global technologies, and promoting the dissemination of high-quality Chinese content and its deep integration into the global market from an international perspective.
Dr. Zhang Qibo believes, "In the era of AI exploration, the frequency and efficiency of innovation are increasing rapidly. Vertical growth that was once unimaginable is now possible. Microsoft is tirelessly promoting the popularization of AI, empowering everyone and every organization around the world faster. We are very grateful for the support and trust of our Chinese content ecosystem partners. Microsoft looks forward to exploring new modes of cooperation and business opportunities with the broader content industry community, reaching new milestones together."
