Artificial intelligence took center stage as the 2025 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Cultural Industry Investment Conference opened in Guangzhou on November 26, with experts and industry leaders highlighting how new technologies are reshaping China's cultural industries.

This year's conference focuses on 60 curated projects centered on AI and new technologies, including AI-generated content tools, emerging applications of AI in filmmaking, and embodied-intelligence robotics.

At the conference, investors and researchers outlined trends driving the market. A report released by Tao Feng, head of the Institute of Industrial Economics at Jinan University, indicated that investment in the cultural industry in the GBA is now concentrating on four areas: the integration of culture and technology, digital-content production, smart cultural manufacturing, and new forms of cultural consumption.

Another study presented by Liu Feng, chief analyst at the Policy and Industry Research Institute at Guotai Haitong Securities, described a "technology-driven transformation" across global cultural industries, with AI becoming a key driver of growth. Liu noted that Guangdong is among China's strongest regions in AI development, with Shenzhen and Guangzhou both ranked among the world's top 50 cities for AI innovation.

Figures reported by Nanfang Daily show that the first GBA cultural investment conference in 2023 led to nine of 18 projects receiving 1.51 billion yuan in funding. Last year, 18 of 40 projects secured nearly 8 billion yuan, meaning almost half of all projects attracted investment.

The 2025 edition features eight investment roadshows aimed at connecting capital with six cultural sectors: film and television, live performance, animation, online gaming, e-sports, and streaming services.

Now in its third year, the conference is part of a broader effort to strengthen the cultural industry across the GBA. In May, Guangdong introduced 87 policy measures to support these sectors, including funding for content creation and programs to train creative talent.

Guangdong's growing presence in the film industry was highlighted this year when actress Xin Zhilei won Best Actress at Venice for The Sun Rises on Us All, a film backed by a Guangzhou-based company and shot in the province.