MOSCOW - In the artificial intelligence race, the winner will be the one who offers humanity the most ethical, meaningful, and inspiring scenarios for tomorrow. This was the core argument presented by Chinese science fiction writer and futurist Chen Qiufan, co-author of the bestseller AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future, at the January Expert Dialogues held at the National Centre RUSSIA. In his lecture titled "The Future of AI: From Imagination to Reality," Chen illustrated the vision of human transformation in the new technological era — one of the five megatrends shaping the world in the coming decades, as previously outlined by Maksim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Executive Office.
Chen Qiufan argued that the foundation for understanding forthcoming changes should encompass not only data analytics but also science fiction. He stated that in an era of uncertainty, sci-fi serves as a crucial cognitive tool and a key resource, helping to create bold new visions for tomorrow.
"How can science fiction help us understand the future? Reports, studies, and infographics are always proliferating. Science fiction offers a diverse, open, and non-linear perspective—a cognitive hedging system that helps mitigate bias and extract value from uncertainty. It prepares us for the future and should inspire people to envision the new world we wish to leave for future generations," Chen explained.
Discussing the development of artificial intelligence through the prism of culture and world history, the futurist highlighted a prediction paradox: "When we tried to predict technologies, we were most often wrong. But when we tried to understand human nature, we most often hit the mark."
Thus, he emphasised that at the heart of technological transformation remains the human being, with their ethics, fears, and value systems. For example, he cited the story of the world's first robot, described in Chinese texts millennia ago: an emperor, seeing a mechanical man flirting with his concubine, ordered it dismantled, only to find it contained only wooden parts.
"Here we see the illusion of anthropomorphism: on one hand, a fascination with technology, and on the other, a fear that blurs the line between reality and imitation. This is how we ascribe human emotions to a machine that does not actually possess them," Chen continued.
Furthermore, the speaker invited the audience to reflect on the influence of digital platforms on humanity, reminding them that the narratives we create or consume shape our reality.
"We live in an era of multiple crises: geopolitics, the economy, climate, and technology. And most importantly, we live in an era of a crisis of imagination — a lack that we are facing," noted Chen Qiufan.
The speaker expressed confidence that humans and machines can coexist harmoniously in the future. However, this depends more on humanity itself than on AI algorithms.
"Artificial intelligence learns from us based on all human data, our behaviour, emotions, and even our beliefs and convictions. And only if we all collectively become better as a humanity, transcending any borders, can we train and nurture artificial intelligence to become a more intelligent being in this world," concluded Chen.
The January Expert Dialogues were initiated by the National Centre RUSSIA in partnership with the Centre for Cross-Industry Expertise "The Third Rome," with the support of the Russian Presidential Executive Office. The keynote speaker of the event was Maksim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Executive Office
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