03 Aug 2025
On August 2, 2025, the Jiangsu stop of the “Wenjin’s 20 Years of Excellence · Good Books on Tour” and the 15th “Wenjin New Reads” event was held at the North Library of Suzhou Library. Under the theme “Envisioning the Future—Reconstructing Education and Nurturing Lives in the AI Era,” the event warmly welcomed Professor Youmin Xi—Executive President of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, and Distinguished Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Xi’an Jiaotong University—as its keynote speaker.
In his address, titled “Embracing the Future: Talent and Education in the Age of Digital Intelligence,” Professor Xi offered an insightful exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the educational landscape. He argued that the traditional model—centered on the “closed classroom” of knowledge transmission—no longer suffices in our digital-intelligence era. Instead, he called for the creation of an “open ecosystem of human-machine symbiosis,” in which AI serves not merely as an auxiliary tool but as a catalyst for expanding cognitive boundaries and reinventing learning modalities.
Professor Xi stressed that the ultimate aim of “Education + AI” is to cultivate learners’ “HeXie Mindset” and “integrative wisdom,” enabling individuals to sustain innovation and leadership in a complex and ever-changing world. He elaborated on strategies for preserving the essence of education amid technological upheaval—namely, safeguarding each learner’s unique identity and inner wellspring of vitality, and guiding them to “discover themselves and become themselves.” His talk directly addressed widespread societal concerns about educational transformation, offering deeply thought-provoking pathways toward equity and holistic human development in the AI era.
Professor Xi’s latest book, What Is Education: Discovering the Self, Becoming the Self, was also specially highlighted during the event. Drawing on his own experiences and those of his students, the volume vividly illustrates his humanistic educational vision and practical value, underscoring the importance of staying true to education’s core amid technological torrents.
03 Aug 2025