Future Ecosystem of Art and Business: The Convergence of Technology, Culture, and Market Forces Forum Held at AADTHU

On March 22, 2025, Future Ecosystem of Art and Business: The Convergence of Technology, Culture, and Market Forces Forum was held at Block C528, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (AADTHU). The event was co-hosted by AADTHU and Sotheby’s Institute of Art - New York, organized by the Training Center of AADTHU, and co-organized by the Art & Science Research Center, Tsinghua University, and Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research (TASA). The Forum brought together experts, scholars, artists, scientists, business representatives, and young students from various disciplines at home and abroad. Focusing on three key topics, namely, the Innovative Integration of Art and Technology, the Fusion of Art and Business, and the Art Investment and Collection, it discussed the role of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital art, and virtual reality in empowering artistic creation. Through multiple perspectives from all sectors of society, participants explored new models, opened up emerging markets, and discovered new possibilities in artistic creation, market operation, and collection investment in the wave of intelligent transformation. The Forum was presided over by XIE Qihong, Director of the Training Center of AADTHU, attracting nearly 200 people for on-site participation.

Guests attending this Forum included MA Sai, Dean of AADTHU and President of TASA; ZHAO Chao, Vice Dean of AADTHU and Deputy President of TASA; SHEN Yang, Professor of both the School of Journalism and Communication and College of AI, Tsinghua University; XU Bin, Researcher of the Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University; LI Daoxin, Deputy Dean of the School of Arts, Peking University; HUANG Xufu, Founder of X Museum; WANG Luping, Director of Alibaba Cloud Design Center; XU Zuobiao, Founder and CEO of Nolibox; ZHAO Hai, a renowned film art director; Ann-Marie Richard, President of Sotheby's Institute of Art; José Félix Bentz, President of the Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona in Spain; ZHANG Zikang, Curator of Ennova Art Museum; LI Baogang, Chairman of Beijing Cathay View Culture and Art Co., Ltd.; LI Feng, Curator of Beijing Minsheng Art Museum; ZENG Jinsong, Vice President of Charoen Pokphand Group; LI Shan, President of Beijing International Wealth Management Research Institute; GAO Hao, Director of the Research Center for Global Family Business, PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University; FU Bin, Associate Professor of AADTHU; Jen Hua, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby's Asia and Chairman of Sotheby's China; LI Yi, Founder of ArtAlpha; TANG Hui, Deputy General Manager of Rong Bao Zhai; WU Jin, Producer of HiArt; and ZHAI Jianmin, Founder of Chak’s Beijing.

Opening Ceremony

MA Sai, Dean of AADTHU and President of TASA, pointed out in his opening speech that in today's era of rapid technological advancements, cultural convergence and collision, and global market integration, the development of art has ushered in new historical opportunities. Technology is the grammar of contemporary art, culture is the unchanging semantics, and the market is the context to test the validity of expression. He stated that AADTHU has been making continuous efforts in fields of integrating technology and art, artistic innovation through cultural convergence, and the commercialization of artworks. He expected that this Forum could gather ideas and insights to provide valuable experience and wisdom for building a healthier and more sustainable ecosystem of art and business.

Speech by MA Sai

Topic 1: Innovative Integration of Art and Technology

Focusing on the topic of innovative integration of art and technology, ZHAO Chao, Vice Dean of AADTHU and Deputy President of TASA, SHEN Yang, Professor of both the School of Journalism and Communication and College of AI, Tsinghua University, and XU Bin, Researcher of the Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, gave their keynote speeches respectively.

ZHAO Chao proposed that design serves as an important bridge connecting art and technology. He said that technological innovation and industrial innovation are focal points of this year's Two Sessions and the foundation of industrial innovation lies in design innovation. The purpose of design is to create an interactive relationship between people and objects and establish meaningful experiences, with various factors such as technology, business, and culture involved in this process. Design requires addressing social issues, so we need to build a platform that connects academic research and industrial practice, and strengthen the cultivation of interdisciplinary talents, applications and transformation of design, and basic design research. The AADTHU is developing brand-new knowledge systems and perspectives targeted to social needs, hoping to collaborate with other research institutions to find fresh application scenarios for cutting-edge technologies.

Keynote speech by ZHAO Chao

By sharing his own experiences of using AI in painting, literature, music, and video creation, SHEN Yang vividly showcased the technological level and artistic creativity of AI to the participants and summarized the functional characteristics of AI based on his personal experience. In his opinion, we used to perceive the world through our brains, but now we rely on a combination of brain and intelligence to understand the world, thus fostering a new landscape of harmony between nature, man, and intelligence. AI stimulates human creativity, and so the interaction boundary between humans and AI serves as the starting point for research. He also humorously mentioned, “If AI is a doctoral student, then everyone should learn to be a supervisor.” Humans should retain their aesthetics, decision-making, and choices in the use of AI. The ultimate goal of AI art is to recreate art itself, making creation a daily activity.

Keynote speech by SHEN Yang

XU Bin delivered a speech titled The Path to Artificial General Intelligence — Research and Application of the Autonomous Multimodal Large Model GLM Series. He mentioned that the large model is currently a scientific hotspot and a national strategy priority, representing a new direction for AI technology in various countries and serving as a significant path toward artificial general intelligence. He introduced the cutting-edge technical achievements made by the Zhipu AI team under his leadership, such as the domestically autonomous iterative development of GLM with GPT as the benchmark, breaking through a series of key technologies centered on full autonomy, multimodality, and high availability. The AI agent products based on this model are facilitating people's daily lives. Professor XU Bin's vision is to make machines think like humans.

Keynote speech by XU Bin

Then, this Forum moved to a roundtable discussion session. Hosted by LI Daoxin, Deputy Dean of the School of Arts, Peking University, HUANG Xufu, Founder of X Museum, WANG Luping, Director of Alibaba Cloud Design Center, XU Zuobiao, Founder and CEO of Nolibox, and ZHAO Hai, a renowned film art director, gathered to present different insights on the relationship between humans and AI and delve into feasible pathways for technology to empower artistic creation. Their thoughts on the integration of art and technology were characterized by their respective professional backgrounds, providing multidimensional inspiration for participants.

Session 1 — Roundtable Discussion

Topic 2: The Fusion of Art and Business

The fusion of art and business is a topic that captivates global attention, which was enriched by international perspectives from Ann-Marie Richard, President of Sotheby's Institute of Art, and José Félix Bentz, President of the Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona in Spain in this Forum. 

Speaking on the theme of The Fusion of Art and Business: Historical Evolution and Future Trends, Ann-Marie Richard led participants on a journey through the history of the art trade from the 17th century to the present day. Since the Age of Exploration, Europe has been engaged in the auction trade of luxury goods. In the 19th century, the art trade grew exponentially. In 1851, a vast array of handicrafts were displayed and sold in the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, giving rise to a global market for art transactions. In the 20th century, two artistic shifts emerged: the art fund and artist-led market expansion. This historical progress provides valuable lessons for our artistic practices and business ecosystems today. Nowadays, AI brings new creativity, and we should adapt to it, making digital technology an ideal tool for disseminating culture.

Keynote speech by Ann-Marie Richard

José Félix Bentz expressed that the fusion of art and business allows for exceptional results. Art contributes to business in two ways: on the one hand, art acts as a transformative force in business, turning ordinary spaces into inspiring environments, thereby boosting employees' mood, productivity, and creativity. On the other hand, art enhances a brand’s identity and features, creating emotional connections and value exchanges between employees and customers, and combining art with product services and design to enable unforgettable user experiences. He called on business companies to provide financial support for art and cultural projects and collaborate with artists to set up exhibition spaces and seminars — the union of art and business is not only possible but also necessary.

Keynote speech by Jose Felix Bentz

ZHANG Zikang, Curator of Ennova Art Museum, shared the Museum’s operating model with the participants from the perspective of the art ecosystem. As a non-profit art institution, the Museum needs to attract audiences by shaping its brand, the key of which lies in enhancing exhibition quality through academic development to offer the public a space for continuous new knowledge acquisition and mutual growth. Mr. ZHANG introduced some practices and concepts in the industry regarding academic research, public education, and collections. He put forward that socialization is an important feature of art museums.

Keynote speech by ZHANG Zikang

The roundtable discussion on this topic was moderated by ZHANG Zikang, with guests including LI Baogang, Chairman of Beijing Cathay View Culture and Art Co., Ltd., LI Feng, Curator of Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, and ZENG Jinsong, Vice President of Charoen Pokphand Group. They discussed how art and business can promote each other and develop together, emphasizing that the fusion of art and business is not only an economic behavior but also a vital way of cultural dissemination. In the future, more cross-sector collaborations are needed to achieve a win-win situation for both art and business.

Session 2 — Roundtable Discussion

Topic 3: Art Investment and Collection

Art investment and collection was the third core topic of this forum. LI Shan, President of Beijing International Wealth Management Research Institute, and GAO Hao, Director of the Research Center for Global Family Business, PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University, delivered their keynote speeches focusing on forward-looking collection strategies in market trends, family asset allocation, and other related issues.
 
LI Shan reviewed his journey from pursuing an artistic dream to changing to a career in finance, emphasizing the significant influence of the art. Through explorations in finance, technology, education, and other fields, he demonstrated the possibilities of diverse personal development. In terms of art investment, he organized the restoration of the Enjoying Snow Yard in Beihai Park, which was granted the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Merit for Cultural Heritage Conservation. He encouraged everyone to unleash more of their potential.

Keynote speech by LI Shan

In his speech titled Art as a Legacy of Wealth: An Analysis of Art Collections among Global Wealthy Families, GAO Hao introduced six capital models for wealth inheritance and vividly showcased the unique role of art collections in capital transformation by illustrating the Guggenheim family’s investments in art collections. From data and industry perspectives, he shared with the participants the overall situation of art collections in the world and China, pointing out that art, as an independent and significant asset class, is becoming increasingly important in wealth management and inheritance. Additionally, he analyzed selected cases of art collections from three global families: the Morgan family, the Rockefeller family, and the Pinault family, summarizing the characteristics of financier-style art collections, thereby providing the participants with a more comprehensive understanding of art collections.

Keynote speech by GAO Hao

Jen Hua, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby's Asia and Chairman of Sotheby's China, LI Yi, Founder of ArtAlpha, TANG Hui, Deputy General Manager of Rong Bao Zhai, WU Jin, Producer of HiArt, and ZHAI Jianmin, Founder of Chak’s Beijing, engaged in a discussion on art collections, which was moderated by FU Bin, Associate Professor of AADTHU. They explored the value and trends of art collections from the perspectives of investment, culture, and inheritance, arguing that art investment requires professional knowledge and long-term insight, while also highlighting the cultural value and social significance of the art.

Session 3 — Roundtable Discussion

With a lively vibe at this forum, the moderators and guests enthusiastically interacted with the participants and patiently answered their numerous professional questions. This allowed participants to deeply experience the far-reaching impact of technology-empowered art, culture-shaped business, and market-driven innovation. ZHANG Qiang, a student majoring in Art Management at AADTHU, shared his thoughts: “Three dimensions, four elements, and eight relationships of the art industry may step into a golden age of technology empowerment in the new era of digital intelligence. However, only by adhering to the humanistic core and balancing innovation with ethics can sustainable prosperity be achieved. This forum undoubtedly provides important ideological directions and practical pathways for this process.”
 
With the warm applause of the participants, this forum came to an end. In today's rapid development of science and technology, innovation has become the core driving force behind the transformation of art, business, and culture. The Forum not only brought about reflection and inspiration but also built a bridge for future cooperation and development. The guests and participants looked forward to the deep integration of art, technology, and business to keep breaking traditional boundaries, foster more possibilities for dialogues and collaborations, and promote the thriving development and continuous innovation of the art ecosystem.

 
Source: | The Training Center of AADTHU
 
Written by | WANG Yuge
 
Photo & article edited by: | LUO Xuehui and ZHANG Xueying
 
Reviewed by | WANG Xiaoxin