Recently, a themed academic salon of the 2025 Beijing International Audio-Visual Conference, titled “AI Animation Visionaries: How Universities Shape the New Future of Chinese Animation”, was held in Beijing. The event was hosted by the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau and the Administrative Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, co-organized by the National Alliance for University Animation Innovation, with Jilin Animation Institute serving as a supporting institution. Academic support was jointly provided by the Center for Film and Theatre Studies of Peking University and the Institute of Game, Film, and Animation Industrial Aesthetics of Jilin Animation Institute.

    The salon brought together young scholars from leading institutions including Peking University, Beijing Film Academy, Communication University of China, and Jilin Animation Institute. Discussions focused on key issues such as talent cultivation in the context of AI-driven transformations of the animation ecosystem. An Ning, Dean of the School of Games, and Zhao Guijing, Vice Dean of the School of Animation Art at Jilin Animation Institute, were invited to attend and share forward-looking insights drawn from the Institute’s educational practices, contributing academic perspectives to industry development.

Scene of the Thematic Discussion

    During the panel discussion themed “When Technological Barriers Are Flattened by AI, Where Lies the Future of Chinese Animation?”, how higher education can uphold its core mission amid rapid technological change became a central topic. Experts unanimously agreed that the widespread adoption of AI has dismantled traditional technical barriers, requiring animation education in universities to shift from “tool-based training” to “creativity-centered cultivation,” with an emphasis on cultural insight and aesthetic judgment—capabilities that remain beyond the reach of machines.

Speech by Zhao Guijing

    Taking Jilin Animation Institute’s distinctive “integration of education, research, and industry” model as a starting point, Zhao Guijing elaborated on the innovative outcomes of the Institute’s “three-stage selection” mechanism and studio-based project system. She emphasized the philosophy of “the classroom as the production site, and works as learning outcomes.” From the Frog Kingdom film series to theatrical releases such as Crazy Computer City, these projects are not only commercially successful market products but also vivid examples of industry–education collaboration. By directly feeding industry demands back into talent cultivation, students complete the transition from learners to creators during their studies, fully embodying the core principles of industry–education integration.

Speech by An Ning

    An Ning noted that in an era of accelerated AI iteration, the industry does not simply need tool operators, but interdisciplinary talents who possess both a deep understanding of technological logic and a strong grasp of cultural essence. As the primary arena for talent cultivation, universities must leverage industry–education integration to build a three-dimensional training framework of “technology + culture + creativity,” nurturing animation visionaries who can master technology rather than be dominated by it.

    At the academic salon, Jilin Animation Institute’s educational practices and innovative concepts received broad recognition from participating experts. As a specialized institution in the field of animation, the Institute has consistently taken industry–education integration as its foundational philosophy and distinctive development as its strategic path, while upholding cultural awareness and creative essence in talent cultivation. Looking ahead, the Institute will continue to deepen its “education–research–industry integration” model, focusing on the in-depth convergence of AI technology and animation creation. By cultivating a new generation of Chinese animation talents with strong cultural grounding, technical competence, and innovative capacity, Jilin Animation Institute aims to inject sustained momentum into the high-quality development of China’s animation industry and help Chinese animation shine with unique charm on the global stage.