AI can generate the answers, but who decides the direction?

(Image caption) A roundtable discussion at the Silicon Valley Forum on "Kukai's Spirit and the Reconstruction of Human Values in the AI Era".

One by one, lights illuminated the Silicon Valley night.

On August 8, 2026, the inaugural International Forum on Spiritual Causes and Global Responsibility concluded at The Quad Conference Center in Silicon Valley. Attendees went outdoors for a lighting ceremony symbolizing the passing down of spiritual values. Hours earlier, they had watched the documentary "Kukai" and discussed topics such as human value, technology for good, and responsibility in the AI era.

Over 1,200 years ago, Kūkai crossed the sea to Tang China, seeking knowledge and ideas that Japan at the time did not yet possess. Today, humanity has created artificial intelligence capable of generating text, images, music, and programs, achieving abilities unimaginable in Kūkai's era. Yet, there are no ready-made answers to the question: Who determines the purpose for which this ability serves? When algorithms begin to participate in human judgment, how should human responsibility be preserved?

At the end of the forum, no consensus had been reached on these issues; however, regulators, corporate boards, and investors were already responding with legal, governance, and capital measures.

Kukai's journey arrives in Silicon Valley.

Kūkai was born in 774 AD. In 804, he traveled to China with an envoy to Tang Dynasty China, where he studied Esoteric Buddhism under Huiguo in Chang'an. He returned to Japan in 806. Afterward, he founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan and participated in education, water conservancy, calligraphy, and religious and cultural development. The official chronology of Kongōbu-ji Temple, the head temple of the Shingon sect at Mount Kōya, records this journey of study and transmission across China and Japan.

"Kukai's Tale" is directed by Chinese director Yue Ye. According to the production company, the film was independently produced and crowdfunded, taking five years and involving more than 800 people. The film is 90 minutes long and features Mandarin narration with English subtitles. It combines location shooting, historical data, image reconstruction, digital engraving, and visual effects.

The film had its Hollywood world premiere on July 30 at the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills. Nine days later, "Kukai Den" arrived in Silicon Valley, and public discussion surrounding the film extended from history and culture to artificial intelligence and global responsibility.

According to event materials provided by the organizers, the forum on August 8th was hosted by the creative team behind "Kukai Densetsu," co-organized by Xingyu Culture, and moderated by Ge Yan, an international partner at King & Wood Mallesons. More than one hundred people participated. In his opening remarks, director Yueye posed a question: With humanity creating increasingly powerful technological capabilities, do we also possess the corresponding intrinsic wisdom?

This question forms the central theme of the entire forum and also touches upon the responsibilities that documentaries themselves need to confront. When religious traditions, historical narratives, and digital reconstructions are placed in the same work, a clear boundary needs to be drawn between historical facts, beliefs, folk tales, and artistic expression.

Public reviews of the film after its release have been divided. Some critics have praised its visual expression and spiritual pursuits, while others have questioned the historical treatment of certain legends and the methods used to reconstruct characters. The official website for *Kukai Densetsu* has revealed digital sculpting and "head-swapping" visual effects, but has not yet fully explained the scope, tools, and processes involved in the generative AI production. This information is crucial to how viewers interpret the evidentiary nature of the film, as well as to character portraiture, creative responsibility, and technological transparency.

Spiritual themes are not exempt from evidentiary scrutiny simply because they are well-intentioned. The greater the cultural mission a work carries, the more rigorous the verification of its historical materials, technical sources, and legal legacies becomes.

(Image caption) Ms. Etsuno, director of the documentary "Kukai Den", delivers the opening remarks.

The purpose of expanding technological capabilities is still determined by people.

The first topic of the forum focused on "Kukai Spirit and the Reconstruction of Human Values in the AI Era".

Dr. Li Qiang, an investor in Silicon Valley introduced by the organizer, believes that while AI can enhance the human mind, it cannot answer what people should pursue, nor can it take responsibility for the purpose and consequences of users' actions. As technological capabilities grow rapidly, people also need to expand their "heart's capacity" in a synchronized manner.

Scottish conductor Derrick Morgan, former assistant conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, shared his experience conducting the symphony "Kukai". AI can generate music and images, but the shared breath, emotions, and mutual feelings between the conductor, musicians, and audience in a live performance are still a life experience that is difficult to replicate.

Roundtable guests Zhang Facheng, Li Shanglong, and biopharmaceutical entrepreneur Wang Fei, among others, discussed human consciousness, altruistic motivations, technological costs, and public interest. These guests, from diverse fields, shared a common concern: while AI can amplify human capabilities, it can also amplify biases, greed, and harm. The future direction of the system depends on training materials, product design, business incentives, allocation of responsibility, and user choices.

The second topic of the forum will be "Technology for Good".

Zhu Huican, an early core developer of Google Image Search and a partner at Amino Capital, suggested that human creativity needs to be combined with AI capabilities, and that values of compassion, altruism, and human-centeredness should be incorporated into the research and application process.

Huo Jianqiang, who served as a Labour MP in the 49th to 52nd New Zealand Parliament, cautioned that laws, policies, corporate codes of conduct, and voluntary commitments all have boundaries. Institutions can hold people accountable for past actions, but they rarely generate compassion and responsibility on their own. Stephen Little, curator and head of the Chinese, Korean, and South and Southeast Asian Art Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, suggested potential uses for AI in art authentication, including analyzing pigments, brushstrokes, age, and provenance.

Art authentication provides a specific institutional framework. Models can assist in processing data, but the authenticity of a work still involves historical evidence, ownership, expert judgment, and legal responsibility. Algorithms can participate in the judgment, but the ultimate responsibility still rests with individuals and institutions.

(Image caption) The documentary "Kukai Den" has attracted many movie fans.

AI ethics enters the realm of law and corporate governance.

Six days before the forum, the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act entered a new enforcement phase. From August 2, 2026, some interactive AI systems will be required to inform users that they are interacting with AI, deepfake content will need to be labeled, and AI-generated or modified content will also need to be marked with machine-identifiable tags.

Within the global AI governance framework, UNESCO, NIST, the European Union, and California have addressed issues at different levels.

In 2021, UNESCO adopted the "Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" by 193 member states, which incorporates human dignity, fairness, transparency, environmental sustainability and human oversight into the global ethical framework, answering the question of what fundamental values should be followed in the development of AI.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's AI Risk Management Framework, with its four functions of governance, context identification, measurement, and management, helps companies translate credibility requirements into organizational procedures, answering the question of how companies can identify and manage risks.

The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act and California's SB 53 Frontier Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act incorporate some principles into disclosure, security management, and accountability systems, answering which developers must take action and what consequences they may face for violations.

These rules elevate the spirit of the forum discussions to the implementation level. Companies need to define usage boundaries, document data sources and risk testing before deploying models, and maintain mechanisms for manual review, appeals, suspensions, and accountability. A traceable chain of responsibility also needs to be established between the board of directors, senior management, the development team, and product users.

"Tech for Good" is unlikely to withstand the pressures of growth, competitive anxiety, and short-term gains if it remains merely a founder's goodwill or a company's value statement. It needs to be incorporated into board agendas, product design, internal audits, compensation systems, and incident handling procedures.

Spiritual traditions can provide direction, while systems are responsible for translating that direction into actionable, monitorable, and accountable daily practices.

(Image caption) The lighting ceremony for the documentary "Kukai Den".

Trust begins to influence valuation and financing

AI governance has become directly related to corporate value. AI products lacking data source documentation, security assessments, copyright management, and accountability mechanisms may face regulatory penalties, lawsuits, customer churn, and market access restrictions. Ethical breaches will ultimately manifest as compliance costs, litigation exposure, reputational damage, and reduced financing.

Investors' due diligence on AI companies needs to go beyond revenue growth, model capabilities, and user numbers. Whether a company has established a model risk management mechanism, whether it maintains training data and version records, whether it allows manual review and appeals, whether it conducts bias, safety, and red team testing, and whether senior management compensation and product growth targets encourage the team to ignore risks—all these factors can affect a company's long-term value.

Trust reduces transaction costs, helps businesses enter more regulated markets, and extends the lifespan of products and brands. When trust disappears, the costs to businesses often exceed the costs of prior governance.

The film *Kukai* itself provides a case study for the governance of cultural assets. The film has since expanded into a symphony, touring screenings, forums, photographs, music, and multilingual distribution. On January 30, 2026, Zou Ye's symphony *Kukai* was performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Choir, and the Choir of the Central Conservatory of Music in China participating.

Films, symphonies, touring screenings, and forums have formed a sustainable content and copyright chain. Film copyrights, music performance copyrights, subtitles and translations, portrait rights, live footage, educational licensing, streaming distribution, and forum content all have the potential for further development and licensing.

Whether this chain can operate sustainably depends on whether the relevant rights are fully documented. Digital reconstruction of individuals, use of voices, historical images, training data, and AI-generated content all require documentation of their source, authorization period, applicable regions, and usage conditions. Spiritual mission and rights governance are not contradictory; clear rights relationships can actually protect works and allow them to go further.

After the lights are lit, how does the responsibility continue?

The organizers plan to hold the second "International Forum on Spiritual Causes and Global Responsibility" in London in January 2027. If this platform hopes to foster a sustained international public dialogue, it needs to accommodate a wider range of voices in the future, including AI developers, regulators, investors, copyright holders, labor representatives, children's and privacy advocates, and those affected by algorithmic decision-making.

Who defines "good," who bears the losses caused by mistakes, how value commitments are subject to independent auditing, and whether those affected can participate in the decision-making process—these questions will determine whether the forum can establish long-term public value.

When Kukai crossed the sea to Tang China, he was seeking knowledge, methods, and spiritual direction. Today, humanity possesses more powerful tools, and therefore bears more complex responsibilities. Technology can improve efficiency, capital can accelerate expansion, and laws can draw lines; ultimately, human choices determine who a technology serves.

A single lamp can illuminate a section of the road. Even after the light goes out, systems are still needed to maintain direction, businesses need to take responsibility, the media needs to verify the facts, and every technology creator needs to answer the question that cannot be left to algorithms:

Where do we ultimately hope to lead humanity?

Disclaimer

This article is written based on publicly available information and information provided by the organizer. It is intended for news research and public discussion only and does not constitute investment, legal, religious or other professional advice. Readers should exercise caution and make their own judgments.