Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
According to a January 9 report in the Southern Metropolis Daily, a video of a Chinese language lesson at a high school in Shenzhen recently went viral. The video addressed an essay question on the Gaokao, a practice exam for university admission: "Which character would you choose if you had to prove you weren't a robot?" After the Chinese teacher collected the answers and held an interactive discussion with 54 students, the question sparked widespread online debate.
Today, as artificial intelligence rapidly develops and becomes ever more powerful, what is the unique value of humankind? This simple yet profound Chinese lesson not only answered the question about the Chinese character but also inspired reflection on the relationship between humans and technology.
Each character written by the students is a key that reveals human qualities and directly points to the fundamental differences between humans and AI. The choice of the character "妈" (mother) reflects the uniqueness of blood ties and emotional attachment. The student who chose the character "急" (hurry) captured the unique human perception of time: for AI, time is just a number, but for humans, a 30-minute wait can be a painfully long time due to a medical report or anxiety due to being late for a meeting—in other words, it can evoke specific emotions and experiences.
Even more touching were the characters chosen, focusing on "imperfection." One student frankly admitted, "I'm always slower than an AI, but I embrace the round world with my simple heart." This "slowness" reveals the warmth of those who are willing to pause for a sunset, to grieve over a fallen leaf, and reflects a subtle perception of authentic life. Another student chose the character for "hatred," acknowledging that a person must have the courage to look pain in the eye. These choices, taken together, confirm that human uniqueness lies not in flawless logical constructs, but in a living, dynamic life experience and a spiritual world.
Today, AI is deeply integrated into everyday life, becoming an integral part of our existence. With AI capable of writing texts, creating diagrams, and programming code, many people are overcome with anxiety: they worry about AI replacing them at work, fear that AI will surpass humanity, and even doubt their own unique value. The reason this Chinese lesson touched people's hearts and resonated with them is because it accurately addressed the concerns of our time. It doesn't deny the value of AI or exaggerate the advantages of humans. Instead, through concrete examples, it helps people rediscover their values.
The point of this Chinese language lesson is to question the key mission and direction of education in the age of AI. Today, when AI can effectively integrate knowledge and impart practical skills, one of the primary goals of education may no longer be simply the accumulation of knowledge and the transfer of skills. Its mission is likely to be to guide students toward self-knowledge and self-acceptance, awakening their capacity for emotional perception, value judgment, and aesthetic insight. Ultimately, the search for knowledge will be entrusted to AI, and skills will be replaced by algorithms, but the experience of emotions, the judgment of values, the capacity for aesthetic perception, and spiritual growth—these exceptional qualities are uniquely human assets, and it is precisely these qualities that education should protect above all else.
In the face of the anxieties of the AI era, we must not mindlessly drift along with the tide of technology, much less fall into the delusion of a confrontation between humans and AI. The true solution is to return to our own life experience, to find the answer to the question "why am I who I am?"—in understanding a hieroglyph, in the empathy born of poetry, in sincere communication. This is the foundation that allows us to stand firm in the maelstrom of technology, and also our confidence in the face of the future.
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