Artificial intelligence, education and cultural perspectives – in the new episode of the podcast "OD on Air"

A new episode from the podcast series "OD on Air" has been published on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA. The host was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Maxim Oreshkin. The guest of the latest episode was Professor of Sociology Chen Qiufan, who discussed the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on society, education and the labour market.

According to the expert, artificial intelligence is transforming everyday life and the professional environment. He also explained the role it plays in education.

"We should be teaching people AI literacy. Not programming and not how to use various tools, but how to think properly and interact with them. Artificial intelligence cannot teach judgement, decision-making or instil good taste. These are the so-called meta-skills that are formed over years of practice, daily improvement and repetition. They develop intuition and an inner sense that helps you instinctively understand what is right and what is not. Schools do not teach this," said Chen Qiufan.

The professor noted that artificial intelligence is already becoming a routine working tool and, over the next five to ten years, may significantly change the structure of employment: many routine office professions will disappear, and career paths will require rethinking. In his view, unique expertise and personal qualities will become the key factors of resilience in the new reality.

During the podcast, Maxim Oreshkin and Chen Qiufan also discussed the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, the risks of technological monopolisation and the need for international cooperation to create an open and diverse artificial intelligence ecosystem. Particular attention was paid to the role of culture and science fiction as tools for understanding the future: through stories, society learns to adapt to change and to build trust between people, states and technologies.

The recording of the podcast with Professor of Sociology Chen Qiufan took place during the January Expert Dialogues. This forms part of the Open Dialogue event series. The event was initiated by the National Centre RUSSIA in partnership with the Third Rome Centre for Cross-Industry Expertise with the support of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia.

The new episode of the podcast "OD on Air" is available to watch on the official website of the National Centre RUSSIA.