AI needs liberal arts students too, says top Chinese AI expert

Zhu Songchun, the dean of Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence, says AI development can't do without liberal arts students. He believes that general AI is essentially about 'creating humans', and understanding what a human is, is exactly where humanities and social sciences excel.

Zhu notes that the 'General AI Class' at Peking and Tsinghua universities has become very popular, and no longer needs his personal recruitment. He advises students and parents to explore diverse fields early, and build a solid foundation, as the future of AI requires interdisciplinary talents, not just narrow specialists.

Previously, the presidents of Fuyao University of Science and Technology and Wuhan University also stressed that in the AI era, humanities and social sciences are crucial for creating laws and regulations that maximize the benefits of new technologies while minimizing harm. Wuhan University says it will not cut its liberal arts programs.