(Yicai) Aug. 7 -- While artificial intelligence has dramatically improved the efficiency of accessing information, it cannot replace authentic human communication, Charles Zhang, chairman of Chinese internet giant Sohu, said as he marked the 10th anniversary of his livestreaming courses.

Zhang said he uses AI to help gather information, but has no plans to create an AI avatar to host livestreams on his behalf.

Large language models have significantly enhanced information retrieval and are already playing an important role in fields such as scientific research, mathematics and physics, said Zhang.

However, efficiency is not everything, he said. As AI-generated content becomes more widespread, the value of original, high-quality content is increasing because AI models depend on such material for training.

The primary motivation for reading news, literature or other creative works is not simply to become more knowledgeable, Zhang said. Rather, people are driven by curiosity and a desire to find emotional resonance, in other words they want to understand how other people view the world. This kind of expression, which is rooted in genuine perspectives and human emotion, remains difficult for LLMs to replicate, he added.

Zhang cited the film The Odyssey and the critically acclaimed Dear You as examples. The value of these works lies not in technology, but in authentic human creativity, emotion and storytelling. Even as AI continues to advance rapidly, he believes Hollywood will continue to produce compelling stories, the Academy Awards will continue to recognize outstanding films and the Nobel Prize in Literature will continue to honor human authors.

Zhang began livestreaming English lessons in 2016 and the program has since aired more than 2,000 sessions. He also hosts physics livestreams. While educational content remains part of Sohu's broader content layout, Zhang said his main focus will continue to be overseeing the Beijing-based company's products and operations.

Editor: Kim Taylor