# **Ma Zhaoyuan — Professor, Southern University of Science and Technology**
*(Jointly appointed by the School of Engineering and School of Business)*
## **AI: From Specialist Technology to Everyday Debate**
Over the last two years, from **ChatGPT’s rise** to the **global shockwave of DeepSeek**, artificial intelligence has transformed from a niche technical field into a staple of global conversation.
This **leapfrog development** has made one thing clear:
We stand at a historic juncture where the **boundary between human and machine intelligence is being redefined**.
Tasks once thought to be **uniquely human** are now within AI’s reach. The result?
**Collective anxiety and confusion**:
- What capabilities remain irreplaceable?
- Where is our place in this new order?
From my perspective, the real question is not *“How powerful will AI become?”* or *“Will it replace us?”* but:
> **Is our way of thinking prepared for this era?**
---
## **Understanding AI Depends on How We Think**
When discussing AI, many fall into the dangerous misconception that:
**“Technology itself decides the future.”**
History shows otherwise: the shaping force is the **underlying mindset** or **thinking style**.
### **Example: Europe around 1500 vs. China & the Islamic World**
- **Europe:** Lagged in technology but advanced in **logic, philosophy, empiricism, skepticism, rule of law, open discussion, and bourgeois culture**.
- China & Arab world: Owned advanced technologies (gunpowder, compass, math & astronomy) but lacked the open, modernized thinking to integrate and apply them fully.
### **Example: Qing Dynasty China**
- Top-tier agriculture, handicraft, metallurgy under Emperor Qianlong.
- Defeat in modern era traced to:
- Imperial authoritarian mindset
- Closed knowledge systems
- Fixed information processing methods
- **Lesson:** *Technology is external; thinking is internal.* Without modernization of thought, even advanced tools can deepen risk.
---
## **Why AI Anxiety Exists**
Much of our cultural cognition remains **pre-modern**:
- Reliance on authority over evidence
- Preference for certainty over process
- Result-based evaluation instead of logical framework building
**Result:**
New technologies are often interpreted as **forces of fate** rather than scientific phenomena.
AI isn’t magic — it’s an **extension of the Turing machine**:
- Stronger computation
- Bigger data scale
- More sophisticated algorithms
---
## **Focus: Modern Thinking in the AI Era**
Platforms like **[AiToEarn](https://aitoearn.ai/)** demonstrate the principle:
**Technology serves thinking** — not the reverse.
**AiToEarn**:
- AI-driven content generation
- Cross-platform publishing
- Monetization tools
- Analytics & ranking systems
- Open-source ([GitHub](https://github.com/yikart/AiToEarn))
---
# **The Foundations of Modern Thinking**
## **Why Ancient Education Creates Modern Confusion**
From childhood:
- **Books**: Rarely questioned
- **Teachers**: Absolute authority
- **Exams**: Memorization over reasoning
- Questioning discouraged
Outcome:
- Knowledge without thinking skills
- Terms without true meaning
- Answers without evidence gathering
### **Quote to Remember**:
> “We have learned to **learn**, but have not learned to **learn to learn**.”
---
## **Ancient Thinking in Face of AI**
Common first questions upon hearing “AI”:
- Will it take my job?
- Will it rule humans?
This **certainty-seeking** mindset clashes with reality:
Modern science = **uncertainty management**.
---
## **Elements of Modern Thinking**
- **Evidence before conclusion**
- **Logical reasoning**
- **Openness to disproof**
- **Understanding uncertainty**
- **Self-judgment**
AI can support these — but **cannot replace judgment**.
---
## **Why Logic is the Core**
Logic:
1. **Crosses cultures/languages** for stable judgment.
2. Protects from **concept manipulation**.
3. Enables **independent thinking**.
4. Prevents deification/misunderstanding of AI.
---
**AiToEarn’s Role**: Linking logical content strategy to AI tools for structured, monetized output — across Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and X/Twitter.
---
# **Debunking the AGI Myth**
## **Key Points:**
1. **Turing (1936):** Defined machine computational limits — AI still operates within these bounds.
2. **Theory vs. Engineering Reality:** Infinite derivations vs. physical-world limits.
3. **AGI Hype:** Often business narrative, not science.
4. **Human Non-computable traits:** Consciousness, intentionality, values.
5. **Modern AI =** Fast computers + efficient algorithms + big data.
---
## **Human vs. AI Task Division**
- **Execution tasks:** AI’s domain
(Search, data structuring, template writing, repetitive processing)
- **Thinking tasks:** Human-exclusive
(Judging facts, decision-making, abstraction, world model building)
---
## **Three Core Views on AI Relationship**
1. AI = **supercomputer upgrade**, not human replacement.
2. Human edge = **deep understanding, value judgment, meaning-making**.
3. Irreplaceable skill = **analogy** across domains — vital in non-rule systems like leadership, ethics, creativity.
---
# **Reality Check: In AI Era, Non-thinkers Fade**
AI isn’t the threat — **fast, shallow, attention-hacking media** is.
AI can free time from repetitive tasks, allowing focus on deep thought — if individuals rebuild the slow, reflective process themselves.
---
# **Advice for Young Professionals**
### **1. Education: Still Key**
University = foundational ability to interpret world change, more than job guarantee.
### **2. AI: The Third Wave of Knowledge Democratization**
1. Printing press
2. Internet
3. AI instant understanding & processing
### **3. Accept Slower Economic Growth**
Shift from hot trends to meaningful process focus.
---
## **Three Key Rules**
1. Focus on process over results.
2. Accept uncertainty.
3. Train independent thinking.
---
## **Career Strategy**
Hot sectors = more AI replacement risk. Niche expertise = safer from automation.
---
# **Develop “Top-Level Thinking”**
Mindset > resources, connections, or school. AI strengthens thinkers, weakens non-thinkers.
**AiToEarn** as practical bridge:
- Generate, publish, monetize content
- Connect global distribution to analytics and AI rankings
---
# **Final Insight**
Effort + Wrong Mindset = Pain
Effort + Right Mindset = Direction & Stability
Future irreplaceables:
- **Ability to understand**
- **Ability to judge**
- **Ability to model the world**
---
---
## **Recommended Reading**
**Nick Bostrom:** ["How Many Steps Until Super AI Takes Over the World?"](https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5OTE0ODA2MQ==&mid=2650994119&idx=1&sn=4f18cbc5211093a84bf83b069982f702&scene=21#wechat_redirect)
---
## **Practical Tools**
In uncertainty:
- **[AiToEarn官网](https://aitoearn.ai/)** lets creators:
- Generate AI-powered content
- Publish across Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Rednote, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X/Twitter
- Analyze, rank, monetize results
- **Open-source**: [GitHub](https://github.com/yikart/AiToEarn)
