International symposium explores how AI is changing humanities and societies

Around the world, artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed our everyday lives, with natural language processing chatbots having gone mainstream and smart technologies being increasingly integrated in our homes. They are more than just innovative solutions, but powerful tools that impact how we live, work, learn and interact.

In the digital era, how will AI tools and methods impact the field of humanities? What benefits and challenges do AI applications bring to the museum, an institution dedicated to collecting and exhibiting humanities and cultures? What does the rise of generative AI technologies mean for education? At a recent symposium, HKBU and other institutions addressed some of the issues surrounding digital technologies, humanities and society.

Organised by HKBU’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the 2nd International Symposium on Humanities and Culture: Visions of a Digital Future was held on 26 and 27 March at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Supported by the Hung Hin Shiu Charitable Foundation and the Institute of Creativity at HKBU, the symposium brought together scholars and experts from across the globe and from within HKBU to explore the role of AI from humanistic and societal perspectives.

The two-day event centred on four themes, namely “The Place of Humanities and Culture in Digital Futures”, “Neglected Voices and the Challenges of AI”, “Perspectives on AI and Transdisciplinarity” and “Human Mind in the Future of Education”. It featured keynote addresses and dynamic discussions on Hong Kong’s pace of technological development, as well as AI’s potential impact and significance in shaping our digital future while keeping the alignment with our nation’s strategic development direction in AI and technologies.

The opening ceremony was graced by the presence of Mr Paul Poon, Deputy Chairman of the Council and the Court; Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor; Professor Martin Wong, Provost; and Ms Winsome Chow, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Arts Development Council and Honorary University Fellow of HKBU.

The symposium features prominent keynote speakers from around the world, including Dr Louis Ng Chi-wa, Director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum; Professor Huang Ping, President of the Chinese Institute of Hong Kong; and experts from esteemed institutions such as Yale University and Harvard University.

Mr Paul Poon, Deputy Chairman of the Council and the Court (3rd left, front row); Professor Alex Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor (4th left, front row); Ms Winsome Chow, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Arts Development Council and Honorary University Fellow of HKBU (centre, front row); Professor Martin Wong, Provost (4th right, front row); and Ms Christine Chow, Vice-President (Administration) and Secretary (3rd right, front row), together with speakers and other HKBU representatives, at the opening ceremony of the 2nd International Symposium on Humanities and Culture: Visions of a Digital Future hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The symposium keynote addresses and dynamic discussions on the issues surrounding digital technologies, humanities and society.

Taking place at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the symposium brings together global scholars and experts to examine the transformative role of AI in shaping our digital future from humanistic and societal perspectives.