AI-empowered topics explored at 2024 Tsinghua Higher Education Forum

(ECNS)--Global experts and scholars discussed opportunities and challenges in AI-empowered higher education during the two-day 2024 Tsinghua Higher Education Forum from Friday to Saturday in Beijing.

Themed on "Boundaries of Possibility: Empowering Higher Education with Artificial Intelligence", the forum delved into the cutting-edge realm of AI’s transformative influence on higher education.

Li Luming, president of Tsinghua University, said in his speech that AI has transformed teaching models and expanded the boundaries of learning, making high-quality instruction more accessible.

Lin Huiqing, vice president of the China Association of Higher Education, stated that AI is reshaping education and redefining research paradigms, elevating the development of education to new levels.

AI, however, has also posed unprecedented challenges to higher education.

French professor Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, a computer scientist and philosopher from Sorbonne University, pointed out in an interview with China News Network that AI could be used in a way that harms people's independent thinking if people are overdependent on AI to write.

To address the issue of ethical boundaries of AI, Stefania Giannini, assistant director-general for Education of UNESCO, urged the global education community to adopt a people-centered approach in response to the rise of generative AI, ensuring that its use adheres to ethical standards and principles.

We should respond with an optimistic, open and cautious attitude, and apply AI reasonably and responsibly in universities, suggested Tsinghua University president.

Over 500 experts from renowned global institutions, including the European Institute of Education and Social Policy and the University of Cambridge, participated in the forum.

Focusing on the challenges and opportunities of AI-empowered higher education, Jean-Gabriel Ganascia, Yang Zongkai, president of Wuhan University of Technology, Michael A. Peters, emeritus professor from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Xue Lan, distinguished professor of arts, humanities, and social sciences from Tsinghua University, gave keynote speeches respectively on the forum.

A report titled “Beyond the Horizon: The Global Development of AI-Empowered Higher Education” was launched by the Institute of Education of Tsinghua University during the forum.

Established in 2022, Tsinghua Higher Education Forum is rooted in China with a global outlook, aspiring to become a key platform and think tank for reforms in higher education worldwide.