Generative Artificial Intelligence Empowering Cross-Cultural Communication: Potential, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations (<<生成式人工智能赋能跨文化沟通：潜力、挑战及伦理审思>>) in the journal 'Cross-cultural Communication'/<<跨文化传播研究 >>

As globalization and artificial intelligence technologies become increasingly intertwined, the use of generative AI (GenAI)—especially large language models (LLMs)—has made it possible to construct new forms of intercultural communication tools, but it has also raised significant ethical concerns. This paper aims to systematically explore the potential, challenges, and ethical framework surrounding “Generative Intercultural Communication Assistants” (GICAs). It begins by arguing for the technical feasibility and practical promise of GICAs, while also highlighting their potential risks. It then analyzes how LLMs represent cultural information, their inherent limitations, and the issue of “contextual bias,” identifying cultural misrepresentation as a serious ethical challenge. Next, it examines methods for adapting cultural representations—such as prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and model fine-tuning—and their limitations, while further discussing how data inequality and commercial incentives affect the fairness of cultural representation. On this basis, the paper proposes a set of ethical principles encompassing accuracy, non-stigmatization, participatory evaluation, goal supervision, and purpose-appropriateness to guide the responsible development and deployment of GICAs. Finally, it outlines directions for future research, emphasizing the need to address these dilemmas at both theoretical and practical levels, to grapple with power dynamics, and to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.