The wave of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping various industries. Journal publishing, as a core link in knowledge production and dissemination, is also facing a critical historical turning point in its development amid era transformation. The advancement of AI has brought significant opportunities for efficiency improvement and model innovation to journal publishing, but it has also posed numerous challenges regarding academic integrity, positioning of editorial roles, and publishing ethics. This paper is based on the discussion among five experts on the 15th China International Digital Publishing Expo. Experts point out that the application of AI in journal publishing has introduced a series of ethical challenges. Yan Shuai highlights that the application and development of AI have led to the proliferation of "paper mills" and the openness of AI platforms enables multiple entities to upload content to public platforms. Xiao Hong emphasizes AI’s value-neutral nature as a tool, arguing that its operational outcomes depend on the motivations and purposes of its users. Zheng Suxia cites practices from her editorial department, noting that AI significantly reduced the editorial workload by handling up to 60% of routine tasks. However, this may also lead to a streamlining of editorial staff. Experts believe that technological solutions should be employed to address challenges posed by technology. Xiao Hong advocates leveraging AI for content production and quality control across dimensions such as innovation, significance, scientific rigor, and disseminability (practical applicability). Yan Shuai believes that the issues arising from AI require collaborative governance among multiple stakeholders to resolve. He proposes corresponding collaborative governance measures, drawing on practices from the STM Association as an example. Liu Liwei emphasizes that data served as a critical resource for advancing journal development. Regarding the crisis of human subjectivity caused by AI, Zheng Suxia takes instrumentalism as theoretical foundation, viewing AI as an extension of human capabilities. She emphasizes that AI lacks the subjectivity required for knowledge production, as it does not possess the ability for value-based self-reflection or ethical deliberation. Humans can create new knowledge based on a substantive understanding of the world, while AI cannot. Liu Liwei explores the varying degrees of AI application in academic publishing, scientific communication platforms, and new media content creation, highlighting the distinct advantages and limitations of both humans and AI. Experts ultimately envision AI’s role transition from a tool to a collaborative partner, aiming to guide AI toward beneficial development while preserving space for human agency. Both Xiao Hong and Liu Liwei acknowledge the positive functions of AI, and Liu Liwei believes that humans still play the dominant role in social development. Zheng Suxia envisions a "future editorial department", suggesting that the two can maintain a friendly and cooperative partnership. However, Yan Shuai believes that how we respond to the challenges posed by AI will determine whether it becomes a partner or a troublemaker. Based on this, Chen Dan proposes a shift in the role of journals from information disseminators to drivers of scientific research and innovation. This research provides insights into enhancing human-machine collaboration efficiency and empowering the future advancement of journals.