Expert: Visual transformation shows new potential of technology

As China's video industry continues its rapid expansion in 2025, with the integration of artificial intelligence and visual tools becoming a central focus, technology is unlocking new potentials, said a leading Chinese expert.

"In an era of shrinking margins and rapid adoption of AI, the real contest is no longer about price, but about who can consistently deliver methods and innovation," Marcus Xu, founder of Beijing-based MarcusLabs, said.

He noted that during the past decade, China's communication landscape has gone through several major shifts — from text and images to the rapid rise of short videos and livestreaming, and more recently to virtual production and video-based delivery of knowledge.

By 2023, the country's video industry surpassed 1 trillion yuan ($140.8 billion) in value, with short video, online education and corporate communications emerging as the fastest-growing segments, he said.

"As audiences' focus has become fragmented, visuals have increasingly replaced text as the dominant medium," he said, noting that the lowered entry barriers brought by easy-to-use tools and templates also drew a flood of small teams into the market.

He stressed: "The greater value lay in equipping viewers with lasting visual communication capability — a perspective that is central to expansion and differentiation."

"Yet only a handful of firms were able to balance strong storytelling with real communication impact," he said, adding that is why he set up the MarcusLabs (Beijing) Cultural Media Co Ltd in 2016 to explore new innovations.

Xu stressed that since 2010, as smartphones and internet products evolved at a fast pace, launch stages have turned into a central arena for corporate communications, with stage design, presentation slides and large-screen visuals no longer secondary elements.

"They became essential in helping audiences grasp a company's culture and appreciate the value of its products more deeply," he recalled.

He called for a "full-chain visual service," to cover high-exposure corporate events while also gaining experience in education and new media, thereby spreading risk.

"In the road ahead, it is not only about any single breakthrough, but also about steadily finding new ways for stories and technology to grow together," he said.

By focusing on customized, end-to-end services for business presentations and stage launches in its early years, MarcusLabs has incorporated cinematic storytelling and audience psychology into slide design, creating presentations that flowed logically and resonated emotionally. 

Currently, MarcusLabs has extended its reach into multiple arenas and has now built four core business lines: visual design for launch events, short video production for new media platforms, interactive digital content, and course video solutions for education.

"For companies seeking innovations, a dual path of technological exploration and strategic partnerships can be explored," Xu said, noting that on the technology side, it is vital to invest in intelligent support tools, while on the collaboration front, it is necessary to work closely with universities and research institutes, and participate in joint projects that advance visual storytelling methods and talent development.

Zhou Ning contributed to this story.