The Interdisciplinary Forum on Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence was recently held at Wuhan University, jointly sponsored by the National Institute of Chinese Language Matters and Social Development and the Institute of Big Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence of Wuhan University.
More than 30 well-known experts and scholars attended the forum, and they are from universities like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, National University of Defense Technology, research institutes such as the Institute of Applied Linguistics Ministry of Education, and technology companies including Huawei and iFLYTEK. This forum covered such topics including linguistics, computer science, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, logic, ethics, military science and other disciplines as well as information industries.
The opening speeches were delivered by Wu Ping, the vice president of WHU, Professor Lu Jianming from Peking University, and Professor Li Sheng from Harbin Institute of Technology. Wu pointed out that language is humans’ most important communication tool and culture carrier, while artificial intelligence is the most advanced core technology in the contemporary era. The profound interaction and combination of the two will definitely fuel technical innovation and progress, and bring more benefits to humans. Experts and scholars from different disciplines concentrating on the major issues demonstrated their far-sighted academic responsibility. In addition, she is looking forward to the new advancements and breakthroughs during the discussion of the key issues in such field, contributing to the development of artificial intelligence.
Lu said that the world has gradually ushered into the information age of cloud computing, big data, internet of everything, artificial intelligence, and globalization, and will soon enter the era of high intelligence of "artificial intelligence + quantum computing." Artificial intelligence is by no means something in isolation，but a complex and comprehensive frontier of many disciplines, including but not limited to literature, science, and engineering, requiring the joint efforts of experts from different disciplines. For language researchers, linguistics studies is far from adequate. The developing research model of “linguistics +” is more in need
Li said that the interdisciplinary forum provided a good platform for researchers in different disciplines to sit together and obtain inspirations via exchanges. He reviewed the development of artificial intelligence combined with his own experience, and pointed out that although that this round of artificial intelligence climax has risen, the problems of cognition and understanding have not yet been resolved, where concerted efforts are needed.
The following reports were delivered by Lu Jianming, Li Sheng, Feng Zhiwei, a researcher from the Institute of Applied Linguistice Ministry of Education, and Prof. Cai Shushan, Dean of the School of Ethnic Culture and Cognition Science of Guizhou University for Nationalities, respectively.
Afterwards, 19 experts and scholars gave speeches on four distinctive topics, including the combination of linguistics and artificial intelligence, research on computer technology and artificial intelligence technology, application research of artificial intelligence technology, research on social life in intelligence era and its governance.
On the closing ceremony, Professor Zhou Jianshe, director of the Research Center for Language Intelligence of China described this forum with three words: First, integration. The main research areas of the participants include linguistics, psychology, logic, cognitive science, computer science, artificial intelligence and other disciplines. Along with the presence of the industry representatives, the forum promotes the intersection of various disciplines; Second, frontier. Artificial intelligence is a frontier discipline, while its combination with linguistics is a forward-looking initiative; Third, the leading role. The forum advocates the cross-border research of "X+ artificial intelligence", which is expected to play a leading role in building the AI highland in 2030.
Rewritten by Wang Anqi, Cao Siyi, Shen Yuxi and Hu Sijia
