In 2022, generative AI took the world by storm, and its development has ever since advanced at lightning speed. Today, AI has become integrated into daily life – we enjoy its convenience while also being alarmed by its potential. As the era of human-machine coexistence dawns, how should we position ourselves?
In an exclusive interview, InnoPort sought the insights of Professor Kwan Tze-wan, founder of the CUHK Research Centre for Humanities Computing and Professor Emeritus of the Department of Philosophy at CUHK. We also invited Professor Lau Chong-fuk, the Head of the Graduate Division in the Department of Philosophy at CUHK, to explore the transformation and future of human identity, emotions, and values in the AI era.
Author: Ria, MA student in Anthropology at CUHK, passionate about fieldwork and interview documentation.
From “Can Computers Think?” to “Where Lies Human Value?”
Professor Lau Chong-fuk specializes in German philosophy and also engages with the philosophy of mind, yet he originally studied engineering as an undergraduate at CUHK. This cross-disciplinary background equips him with a perspective that bridges abstract speculation and empirical science. He recalls that in the early 1990s, academia was still hotly debating whether computers could beat humans at chess. Shortly after, he witnessed the supercomputer Deep Blue defeat the world chess champion in 1997. From 2004 onward, he returned to teach at CUHK and launched a general education course “Mind, Brain, and AI,” posing similar questions to students each academic year, including: Can computers think? Can computers be conscious?
Over the past two decades, the answers have shifted dramatically with the times: in the 2000s, most students viewed computers merely as tools; in the 2010s, with the advent of voice assistants like Siri, more students agreed that computers could think. Since the launch of ChatGPT post-2022, people are no longer questioning if computers can think. Instead, we ask: When computers become more intelligent than humans, where does human value lie?
Professor Lau points out that AI need not possess subjective consciousness; purely by surpassing humans on an intellectual level, it can dramatically disrupt human social life and self-understanding. This disruption brings multi-layered anxieties. The most immediate is employment anxiety – white-collar jobs are visibly diminishing, while blue-collar work faces less immediate impact, but as technology advances and costs decrease, it too is unlikely to be spared in the long run.
At a deeper level lies identity anxiety: humans have long regarded themselves as the crown of creation, yet are now being surpassed by AI in domains they once took pride in, such as language and decision-making. If AI becomes capable of self-improvement and autonomous decision-making in the future, humans risk shifting from being the driver of civilization to a mere spectator.
What is Left for Humanity? Firsthand Experience and the Appreciation of Beauty
Faced with the relentless advance of AI, what is left for humanity? Professor Lau believes that industries requiring greater emotional engagement, such as the performing arts, will outlast purely intellectual professions. Even if AI sings more flawlessly than Eason Chan, people would still pay to see a live human performance, as it contains spontaneous imperfections and emotional resonance. What humans cherish is not mechanical “perfection,” but “imperfect warmth.”
Professor Kwan Tze-wan echoes this view from another angle. He shares that he writes poetry as a hobby and is well aware that AI can also compose verse. Yet he emphasizes that firsthand experience is irreplaceable: “Only by reading more poetry written by humans can you know what constitutes good poetry and what is truly poetic. If you have not yet reached that stage yourself, and you let AI write poetry for you, you simply cannot tell good from bad. Where is the standard? Without personal experience, you lack the capacity to judge.”
Both professors arrive at the same conclusion through different examples: in the AI era, the uniqueness of humanity lies not in high-efficiency but in preserving the process of firsthand experience, and the resulting sensibility toward truth and beauty. With such inner foundation, humans remain active connoisseurs rather than passive consumers.
Returning to Personal Passions: Collaboration with AI over Replacement
In the face of AI’s impact, Professor Lau believes that a healthy dose of anxiety prompts us to reflect on how we can do better. He admits to using AI frequently himself – from finding restaurants while traveling to thinking through problems – and finds it highly useful, yet he also confesses: “I have become lazier in some respects.” This has led him to reflect: many of his own abilities, including email writing, were cultivated over decades. Today, however, many young people delegate everything to AI, forfeiting opportunities to practice and build confidence.
Professor Kwan also worries about a future of excessive AI dependence that erodes human autonomy. He stresses: “The most important thing is whether you are aware of the limitations that AI imposes on you. Once you are aware, you must retain some elements of autonomy in your learning or self-improvement process to escape AI’s domination.”
Yet, there is no need for excessive pessimism. Professor Lau points out that even if AI far surpasses humans, it does not mean human value disappears. He illustrates: there have always been people whose language skills are better than yours, but that never means your own abilities were worthless. The key lies in self-understanding. If a person is genuinely passionate about something and derives satisfaction from the process itself, there is little need to worry that AI does better. On top of that, if one also values outcomes, leveraging AI wisely can grant them a competitive advantage.
In the AI era, it is hard to predict whether the world is heading for better or worse. But for individuals, what matters most is clarifying what kind of person they want to become and investing your passions into it. Only then can AI become a true ally rather than a replacement.
Under this awareness, the value of knowledge itself is also being redefined – moving away from the mere accumulation and display of information toward a new paradigm: starting from human concerns and, with AI’s assistance, transforming academic insights into collaborative actions that address societal pain points and enhance human well-being.
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