On May 27, 2025, the sub-forum on Constructing an Autonomous Knowledge System for China's Philosophy and Social Sciences, part of the 2025 Cultural Power Development High-Level Forum, took place at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The event brought together leaders from relevant Party and government departments, universities, research institutions, and think tanks, as well as experts and scholars in philosophy and social sciences, to discuss how to accelerate the development of China's independent knowledge system in these fields.
Professor Zheng Yongnian, Chair of the Academic Committee of the Institute of Public Policy (IPP) at South China University of Technology (SCUT) and President of the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai, delivered a keynote speech titled Knowledge Transformation and Innovation in the Digital-Intelligence Era.
Key Insights from Prof. Zheng Yongnian's Speech
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) poses new challenges to human knowledge creation, making it imperative for humanity to transcend AI and generate knowledge that AI cannot produce.
Prof. Zheng analyzed three major types of knowledge and their methodologies in modern social sciences, pointing out that while AI excels at generating concrete (形而下) knowledge, it lacks the capability to create abstract (形而上) knowledge—such as philosophy, ethics, religious studies, and mid-level social science theories and concepts.
Therefore, AI cannot replace humans; instead, a division of labor between humans and AI in knowledge creation is inevitable.
The sub-forum was chaired by Xu Chunsheng, Director of the Office of Social Sciences under the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.Tan Jing, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, delivered opening remarks.
