Zhongguancun Forum side event spotlights future of AI interpretation

An AI interpretation demonstration was held Thursday at Beijing International Studies University, showcasing advances in AI-driven simultaneous interpretation as part of the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum.

The AI interpretation demonstration of the All China Interpreting Contest takes place at Beijing International Studies University, March 26, 2026. [Photo courtesy of Beijing International Studies University]

The event, co-hosted by the university and TRS Corporation, a leading provider of artificial intelligence, big data and data security products and services, aimed to foster industry-academia collaboration in support of Beijing's goals in international communication and technological innovation.

Yu Tao, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG), addressed the opening ceremony, saying CICG will continue to promote the healthy development of AI translation and cross-cultural communication amid the rise of large language models.

Yu Tao, vice president of China International Communications Group, speaks at the opening ceremony of the AI interpretation demonstration of the All China Interpreting Contest at Beijing International Studies University, March 26, 2026. [Photo courtesy of Beijing International Studies University]

Han Jian, director of the information department at the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, highlighted the city's growing demand for multilingual translation and outlined five priorities: expanding application scenarios, establishing evaluation standards, building high-quality corpora, developing large models and increasing market reach.

Shi Shuicai, chairman and president of TRS Corporation, pledged to leverage the company's strengths in model engineering and data support to deepen collaboration with the university, with a focus on bridging the gap between standards and platform development.

Five companies, including Beijing VRV Software, SoundAI and NetEase Youdao, presented demonstrations of their latest translation technology.