CityU hosts “Reading the Beauty of Science Fiction” lecture to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day

In support of “World Book and Copyright Day,” a lecture on science fiction entitled “Reading the Beauty of Science Fiction” was held yesterday in the theater of the Cultural Centre at City University of Macau (CityU). The event was jointly organized by the China Writers Association and the Macao Science Center (MSC), with co-organization from CityU. Under the theme of “How far is the future?”, the event featured young sci-fi writers Li Yiqian and Ning Meng Yu Yan as speakers to share their creative experiences and insights into the future with nearly 400 faculty and students, leading the audience to travel through the imagination that science and technology intertwined with the humanities. The event was also broadcast online and attracted over 1,500 views.

The event was attended by Mok Ian Ian, president of the Board of Directors of MSC; Bai Bing, deputy head of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; Bai Xue, director of the Department of General Affairs of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the China Writers Association; Kuan Ho Weng, president of the Supervisory Committee of MSC; Wong Ka Ki, deputy director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau, and vice-president of the Board of Directors of MSC; U Hon Sang and Tam Kam Weng, board members of Board of Directors of MSC; To Wai Ming, member of Consultative Committee of MSC; Cheong Hung Fat, acting curator of MSC; Jun Liu, rector of CityU. CityU faculty and students, representatives of local cultural and technological associations such as the Pen of Macao, the Author Association of Macao and Kiang Wu Hospital, as well as teachers and students from local schools also attended the event.

In her speech, Mok Ian Ian, president of the Board of Directors of MSC, said that reading science fiction would stimulate creativity to the world and expand the imagination of the future, allowing readers to explore the infinite possibilities of another worlds beyond reality. She highlighted MSC’s future endeavors in cultivating scientific culture, promoting the spirit of scientists and constructing scientific and cultural quality, leveraging the unique advantages of Macao under the principle of “one country, two systems,” to promote humanities in science, thereby fostering the international dissemination of Chinese science fiction literature.

Rector Jun Liu regarded science fiction as an important carrier for cultivating innovative thinking and inspiring the spirit of science. He looked forward to helping young students experience the charm of logic, humanities and transcendence of science fiction through this event. Rector Liu highlighted CityU’s commitment to nurturing talents with innovation and global vision, hoping that students would find the courage to explore, the wisdom to criticize, and the aspiration for a shared future for mankind in science fiction.
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Speaker Li Yiqian gave his presentation entitled “Is Science Fiction Dead in the Age of AI? —The Four Secret Realms of AI, Writing, Science Fiction, and Narrative.” He used Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to start with the relationship between science fiction and technology, discussing whether technology could take away the uniqueness of human beings and whether AI could replace creation amidst the rapid development of AI. He developed his discussion through the framework of “Four Secret Realms,” from the technical logic of AI writing to the questioning of human nature in science fiction, as well as from innovative narrative forms to the repositioning of human roles in the wave of technology.

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Speaker Ning Meng Yu Yan spoke on the topic of “How Far is the Future — Exploring the Boundary between Human and AI and the Humanistic Implications,” pointing out that human creativity was irreplaceable, and that the role of AI was not as a creator, but rather a tool for human. She described writing as a journey where the author’s worldview would be presented in an interesting story. Speaking of the digitalization of a novel, she mentioned that it didn’t depend only not on the story itself, but also on the author’s voice and the market. “Technology is a cold code, while life is always a lively dialogue,” said Ning in her conclusion.

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During the interactive session, the audience asked questions about AI emotion recognition, brain-computer interface technology and science fiction writing. The professionalism and openness of the two authors broadened young readers’ understanding of science fiction and stimulated their imagination beyond the single fields of technology and humanities.

 

Source: Macao Daily
Photo credits: Macao Science Center, CityU Reporter