Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] In recent years, the national leadership has attached great importance to the inheritance and innovation of China's excellent traditional culture, and the concepts of creative transformation and innovative development are constantly evolving. The Ministry of Science and Technology of China, among six departments, jointly formulated the "Guidelines for Promoting the Deep Integration of Culture and Technology", proposing to form a "cultural and technological integration innovation system covering key areas and critical links, to achieve the goal of in-depth integration of culture and technology". Intangible cultural heritage (ICH), as an essential part of China's excellent traditional culture, plays a crucial role in consolidating the sense of the Chinese national community and enhancing cultural self-confidence. This paper discusses the research paths for the creative transformation and innovative development of ICH in the context of culture and technology integration, emphasizing the significant role of modern technology in promoting the transformation and development of ICH. [Method/Process] The paper first interprets the connotation of "creative transformation and innovative development" in ICH, and clarifies the theoretical foundation and guiding principles of "creative transformation and innovative development" in ICH. It then analyzes the significant contributions of "creative transformation and innovative development" in ICH to society, economy, and cultural diversity, as well as the categorized scenarios of technology empowerment in "creative transformation and innovative development" of ICH. It discusses six types of common key technologies that enable technology-driven "creative transformation and innovative development" in ICH, including digital technology, virtual and augmented reality, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. It summarizes a three-tier framework system for technology-driven "creative transformation and innovative development" in ICH, namely the method layer, technology layer, and object layer, forming a progressive relationship from theory to technology and then to specific practices. Finally, by integrating the specific example of the traditional craft of Wuhu iron painting, it demonstrates the facilitating role of modern technology in the "creative transformation and innovative development" of ICH and its impact on the protection, inheritance, and innovative development of ICH. [Results/Conclusions] The findings suggest that technological means can effectively protect and inherit ICH, facilitating its creative transformation and innovative development. However, it also requires careful consideration and precautions against the potential risks and challenges that modern technology poses to ICH projects in terms of intellectual property rights, the digital divide, and the indirect nature of experiences. Looking to the future, with the emergence of more innovative technologies, modern technology will not only help to protect and pass on traditional culture but also give new connotations and expressions to traditional culture, ensuring that its unique value and charm continue to play out in an ever-changing world.

Key words: technology empowerment, intangible cultural heritage (ICH), creative transformation, innovative development, AI, big data, VR