HKUST Brings Together Leading Scholars to Rethink Humanities and Social Sciences for the Age of AI

AI can generate an answer in seconds. But can it tell you why the question matters?

That's what brought over 30 deans and associate deans across Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, Macau, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore to HKUST this June, for the School of Humanities and Social Science's first Deans' Forum: Challenges and Opportunities for Humanities and Social Sciences in the Era of AI. Held as part of HKUST 35th Anniversary celebrations, the Forum drew keen participation from 100 of HKUST's staff, students and members of the public.

In her opening remarks, HKUST President Prof. Nancy Ip reflected on the issues no algorithm can sidestep: "ethics, identity, culture, governance, language, and the nature of knowledge itself."

Two keynote speakers took the stage to unpack what that means in practice. Prof. Ronghuai Huang, Co-Dean of the Smart Learning Institute at Beijing Normal University and UNESCO Chair on AI in Education, was clear on where humans still stand: "The role of humans in knowledge production remains indispensable.” Mr. Rohit Talwar, CEO of Fast Future Publishing (World No. 2 in Global Gurus 2026), had even a bolder take: "Steadiness, stability, and predictability have become things of the past."

From there, four roundtable discussions dug deep into AI's impact on ethics, history, psychology and education, with scholars sharing insights and real progress on how their research and curriculum development are being transformed by AI.  

The takeaway of this candid exchange wasn't the fear of AI. It was clarity about what stays human: critical thinking, empathy, cultural fluency, the qualities that no algorithm can fake. As Prof. Andrew LI Ping, Dean of Humanities and Social Science, put it in his closing remarks, that's exactly why the humanities and social sciences matter more now, not less.  

Check out more forum highlights: Home | SHSS Deans' Forum