On the evening of December 17 (local time), Prof. Qiu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, who is currently visiting Greece, engaged in exchanges with representatives from the Greek political, business, and academic sectors. He delivered a keynote speech focusing on "Cultural Inheritance and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations in the Era of Artificial Intelligence". The event was hosted by Mr. Evangelos E. Angelakos, former Mayor of Oinousses, Honorary Chairman of Angelakos S.A.
Attendees included Mr. Giannis Kefalogiannis, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection; Mr. Evangelos E. Angelakos, former Mayor of Oinousses, Honorary Chairman of Angelakos S.A.; Prof. Vasileios Vasdekis, Rector of Athens University of Economics and Business; Prof. Ioannis K. Chatjigeorgiou, Rector of the National Technical University of Athens; Prof. Sophia Papaioannou, Vice-Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Mr. Reno Ren Fujun, CEO of Huawei Southeast Europe Region; and Mrs Alexandra Vovolini, publisher of industrial review (the oldest business journal in Greece founded in 1934).
Prof. Qiu noted that in his reply letter to Professor Stelios Virvidakis of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and four other Greek scholars, President Xi Jinping pointed out that more than 2,000 years ago, the two great civilizations of China and Greece shone brightly at the two ends of the Eurasian continent, making a fundamental contribution to the evolution of human civilization. The development of human civilization is not linear; there have always been key turning points. However, those ancient, classic things will never leave us and are most worthy of cherishing. Currently, a new round of technological revolution represented by artificial intelligence is accelerating, bringing unprecedented opportunities and challenges to the time-honored humanities. Prof. Qiu emphasized that Tsinghua University attaches great importance to the development of the humanities, highlighting initiatives such as the Humanitas Tsinghua Forum, the establishment of a high-level art museum, and enhanced research on ancient Chinese characters, aimed at making the University more interdisciplinary, more innovative, more international, and crucially more humanistic.
"In the era of AI, we should cherish and strengthen the human spirit to ensure that humans do not become machines," Prof. Qiu emphasized. He stated that cultural exchange and civilizational dialogue hold even greater significance in the AI era. In 2016, Tsinghua University formulated its first Global Strategy, which has not only elevated the University's international educational vision but also broadened the academic vision of its scholars, providing broader space for student growth. In the AI era, universities must also actively and unreservedly promote the development of AI technology and talent cultivation, and strive to advance the application of AI technology. Since 2018, Tsinghua University has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence disciplines and interdisciplinary technological research, while actively advancing "AI for Education" and "AI for Science."
The AI era requires a greater emphasis on the humanities. Tsinghua University looks forward to cooperating with Greek universities to advance AI technology development and talent cultivation, deepening cooperation in areas such as digital technology-enabled cultural heritage protection, classical civilization research, and frontier exploration, thereby making due contributions to safeguarding cultural inheritance, nurturing innovation and advancing human civilization.
Mr. Evangelos Angelakos emphasized the importance of Tsinghua’s partnership with Greek institutions on preventive wildfire monitoring. Professor Sophia Papaioannou the vice-rector of NKUA welcomed cooperation between NKUA’s Scanlab and Tsinghua’s School of Safety Science on early detection and protection against forest fires, including the training of future specialists through multidisciplinary, project-based initiatives. Mr. Giannis Kefalogiannis, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, noted that as climate change increases catastrophic fire risk, staying ahead of the wildfire curve requires a whole-of-society effort - using new technologies to advance prevention not just criris response.
In his concluding remarks, Prof. Qiu quoted French writer and philosopher Albert Camus, who once wrote, "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." Prof. Qiu said, "In the age of AI, I have come to realize that within me there is a soul that cannot be simulated or computed." In this turbulent and uncertain era, the core values of human civilization remain an eternal flame. Each of us bears the same mission.
Editors: Li Han, John Paul Grima
