The Encounter of AI and Confucianism: Confucius and Silicon — Rebooting "Li" in the AI Era

How is AI transforming human creativity and ethics? At the Nishan World Civilization Forum held in Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, 560 participants from over 70 countries gathered to discuss topics such as "Would Confucius accept AI?" and "Multicultural Coexistence and AI Governance." Professor Wang Junlin emphasized that AI should be placed under the "Dao," while Professor Wen Haiming proposed ethical red lines. Professor Steve Fuller described AI as a "mirror of creativity." On Weibo, the hashtag garnered over 200 million views, and articles spread on X, making "Confucian harmony" a key term in international discussions. The academic community responded with papers like "Wise Machines" and "Superalignment," while the policy and industry sectors are considering ethical guidelines and cultural diversity clauses. The Confucian concept of "harmony without uniformity" has emerged as a central theme in designing a future where humans and AI coexist. This report comprehensively covers this trend.