At the 2025 Golden Panda International Cultural Forum in Chengdu, Chinese film director Chen Kaige shared his insights on the balance between technology and storytelling in cinema. He emphasized that while AI can restore historical footage or generate stunning visuals, it can never replace a director's judgment, a screenwriter's craft or the soulful performance of actors. True films, he suggests, resonate because they reflect human nature – love, hope, homecoming and farewell – reminding us that technology should empower creativity, not constrain it.