Qiufan Chen | 2041: How Chinese Science Fiction Imagines Our Future

Abstract

The greatest value of science fiction is not in providing answers, but rather in raising questions.

Can AI help humans prevent the next global pandemic by eliminating it at the very root? How can we deal with future job challenges? How can we maintain cultural diversity in a world dominated by machines? How can we teach our children to live in a society where humans and machines coexist?

Welcome to 2041!

Qiufan Chen (Stanley Chan) is an award-winning Chinese speculative fiction author, translator, and curator. His major works include Waste Tide (Locus Best New Novel Finalist), as well as short story collections Future Diseases and Algorithms for Life, which have won him three Chinese Galaxy Awards and fifteen Chinese Nebula Awards. His recent works include AI 2041 (with Dr. Kai-Fu Lee), in which he imagines our world in 2041 and how it will be shaped by AI.

This event was recorded on April 28, 2022 and included participation from Professor Anindita Banerjee, Comparative Literature, Cornell University.