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0Erinome: Hello everyone! Welcome to our podcast. I'm Erinome, and sitting next to me is Enceladus. Today, we’re going to chat about an interesting topic: how AI is changing education, especially in colleges. Let’s dive in!
Enceladus: Hi everyone! Oh, AI and education? That’s a hot topic lately. I heard there was a big forum at Shanghai Jiao Tong University not long ago. Did something important happen there?
Erinome: Yes! You’re right. On October 31st, Shanghai Jiao Tong University held the 4th "Top Talent Cultivation International Forum" and the 3rd China University Academy Exchange Conference. A famous mathematician, Academician Ouyang Weinan, gave a main report called "Talent Cultivation in the AI Era".
Enceladus: Academician Ouyang Weinan? What did he say about AI and education? I’m curious!
Erinome: Well, he talked a lot about how traditional university teaching might not work well in the AI age. You know, the old way of teaching is like a single mode—all students learn the same thing, it takes a long time, and the course systems are old. It doesn’t fit young people’s learning habits now.
Enceladus: Oh no, that sounds like a problem! So knowledge teaching isn’t good anymore? Then what do teachers do?
Erinome: He said in the AI era, just giving knowledge isn’t suitable. But here’s the cool part: the AI School at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has professors trying to make "intelligent agents". These agents can push personalized AI teaching resources to each student. Like, if you need more help with a certain topic, the AI sends you materials just for you!
Enceladus: Wow, really? So AI can make teaching materials personal? That’s amazing! But is the AI’s materials as good as top university teachers now?
Erinome: He said right now, maybe not as good as the best teachers, but the AI updates super fast. "At this speed, maybe in one or two years, good education resources will be equal for everyone," he said. Oh, and he also thinks "continuing education" will be normal—like, your first degree or first major won’t be as important as before.
Enceladus: Um, that’s a big change! If knowledge is easy to get with AI, what can universities teach then?
Erinome: Good question! Ouyang Weinan gave examples. Like math education—its core should be to train students’ strict thinking and abstract abilities. He said, "Why do our students learn so much math but don’t have math literacy? Because we only taught them tools and knowledge before, not thinking."
Enceladus: Oh right! I’ve seen that too—students can solve math problems but can’t use math thinking in real life. So universities need to teach them how to find knowledge and how to ask questions, right?
Erinome: Exactly! He said when knowledge is easier to get, we need to teach students where to find knowledge and how to ask good questions. For example, in research, students should know how science has developed. Some researchers think from experience, others from basic principles—these are different thinking ways, but our current courses don’t teach that.
Enceladus: That makes sense. What else?
Erinome: He also talked about discussing social challenges. Education should answer society’s needs, but right now, there are no special courses to talk about real problems. Like, what challenges does human society face? What about China’s development? Climate, environment, food safety, health… these are not just words, but many specific problems.
Enceladus: You know that? Like, fields such as industrial software, high-end machine tools, high-end materials—if we break them down, there are many problems that applied math can solve. But he said few applied mathematicians know these problems now.
Erinome: Yep! And he强调 (qiángdiào—emphasized) that in the AI era,培养 (péiyǎng—cultivating) leading talents is more important. Leading talents can judge the future development correctly. He said, "People might think we only need 3-4 leading talents in each field, but no. In a time of fast technology, everyone needs to have leading talents’ qualities—you need to know the future of your job or industry."
Enceladus: Oh, so everyone needs to think ahead? That’s a high standard!
Erinome: And he mentioned the "academy system" in universities—like the one at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. It focuses on comprehensive abilities. For example, helping students understand what a happy life is. "I hope students not only do well in studies but also live happily," he said.
Enceladus: Aww, that’s nice. So the forum had many people, right?
Erinome: Yes! Nearly 50 famous universities (like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University, Macau University) and top companies (Microsoft, Huawei, Alibaba Cloud) joined. They talked about "top talent cultivation and academy education in the new era"—lots of good ideas!
