From January 6 to 7, 2023, the "Global Frontier Science 50 Think Tank Forum (The First)" (hereafter referred to as "the Forum") was successfully held in Chengdu, China. The theme of the forum was "Global Vision, Chinese Foundation, Frontier Intersections, and Strategic Foresight". More than 450 top scientists, academic experts, and industry professionals around the world attended the meeting to discuss the developmental trends and future prospects of global frontier science from various perspectives. During the forum, the "Global Frontiers Science 50 Think Tank" was officially inaugurated, and the "White Paper on Higher Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence" was officially released, which was authored by the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (hereafter referred to as "UNESCO-ICHEI").

The delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI engaged in in-depth sharing and exchanges with leading global experts and explored potential opportunities for joint research and the deepening of project outcomes with academic leaders during the forum. Professor Li Ming, Secretary-General of the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Secretariat, Founding Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Chair Professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and Vice President of the Global Frontiers Science 50 Think Tank; Professor Han Wei, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of IIOE Secretariat, Former Executive Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI; Professor Liang Jiansheng, Executive Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI; and Ms. Bi Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, delivered important speeches at the forum.

This forum was initiated and co-organised by UNESCO-ICHEI, the School of Humanities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Chengdu University of Technology, the School of Life Sciences at Nanjing University, the School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence at Southwest Jiaotong University, and the School of Computer Science and Engineering at Beihang University. It was co-hosted by the Research Center for Global Frontier Science, Art and Finance at the School of Humanities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Institute of Artificial Intelligence at Southwest Jiaotong University, and the Management and Research Center of Guanghua Think Tank at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. Academic support was provided by the Sichuan Province Yujie Foundation, the Technology and Management Centre for Development at the University of Oxford, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Tsinghua University, and the Asia Academy of Digital Economics.

As a global academic alliance connecting top scientists and scholars worldwide, the "Global Frontier Science 50 Think Tank" will provide new insights into the "new quality productivity" driven by "cutting-edge technological innovation". On a non-profit basis, the forum will annually invite a cohort of distinguished award winners, members of Academy of Sciences and leading experts in multidisciplinary fields of artificial intelligence and information technology, biological sciences, energy technologies, aerospace sciences, and humanities, etc., to discuss macroscopic topics such as sustainable development of Community of Shared Future for Mankind, and future technological revolutions and innovation, focusing on fundamental science and original innovation. The forum aims to build a globally influential platform for the exchange of cutting-edge scientific ideas, empowering the upgrading of China's global industrial chain and exploring new engines for China's economic growth.

Forum Highlight: The Official Release of White Paper

At the openning ceremony, Professor Li Ming, Secretary-General of the IIOE Secretariat, Founding Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Chair Professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and Vice President of the Global Frontiers Science 50 Think Tank, delivered an openning remark to share the insights of AI integration in higher education, and released "White Paper on Higher Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence" (hereafter referred to as "White Paper"). Professor Li Ming emphasized that as technological and industrial revolutions pose significant challenges to higher education, a consensus must be reached on the future "AI + higher education" model that leveraging multilateral partnerships, organizing close collaboration among stakeholders in higher education, adopting effective governance frameworks, and continually fostering policy and best practice innovations.

Based on extensive consultation from experts and enterprise partners, the White Paper endeavours to explore the current approaches and future directions for the effective use of AI technologies in teaching and learning, and advocates for the multilateral collaboration of higher education stakeholders to advance the good use of technologies and related policies, encouraging multiple stakeholders to explore the cooperation mechanism and the new ecosystem of higher education. The White Paper advocates for the deep integration of AI into higher education and calls for collective efforts towards SDG4. On 8 December, the White Paper on Higher Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence (Consultation Draft) written by UNESCO-ICHEI was introduced to the summit participants during the 2023 International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Global Partners Summit.

Please click here to access White Paper

Professor Li Ming introduced the overarching concepts and four chapters of the White Paper, including opportunities and challenges of higher education in the era of AI; the oppotunities brought by AI industries and the issue of enterprise-higher education partnership; government policy guidance and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) strategies; and the visions and outlook of UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE. Professor Li Ming stated that this White Paper is dedicated to providing institutions and educators in the IIOE ecosystem with a more comprehensive overview of issues related to AI and higher education, as well as the vision and outlook of UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE. It also presents concrete solutions and possible paths of action, in order to support the stakeholders in the rational use of technology to achieve high-quality and equitable higher education and sustainable development goals.

With the goal of integrating industry and academia, the White Paper strengthens policy dialogue, promotes more HEIs in developing countries to reach a consensus on AI and higher education, and encourages multiple stakeholders to explore the cooperation mechanism and the new ecosystem of higher education. Professor Li Ming emphasized that robust partnerships are crucial for higher education innovation. UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE will continue to facilitate close collaboration among government bodies, HEIs, enterprises, international organizations, and other stakeholders in the higher education sector.

Additionally, Professor Li Ming presented practical experiences of UNESCO-ICHEI in promoting enterprise-higher education partnership and the latest achievements in upgrading the IIOE platform. UNESCO-ICHEI is currently collaborating with enterprises such as Huawei, Baidu, KMAX, and OS-EASY to accelerate the digital talent cultivation through the IIOE Micro-certification for Higher Education Teaching Personnel Project. UNESCO-ICHEI is also partnering with hardware equipment enterprises to facilitate the upgrades of smart classrooms and enhance the infrastructure for digital teaching. Currently, UNESCO-ICHEI actively enhances digital competencies of teaching personnel and institutions through the IIOE platform, supporting the development of AI literacy. By incorporating ChatGPT 4.0, IIOE Platform V3.0 is able to deliver more advanced knowledge services. As a cutting-edge laboratory, IIOE (Shenzhen, China) AI Lab provides smart teaching plans for various institutions as references. The IIOE Higher Education Teaching Personnel Digital Competency Reference Framework and the Micro-Certification system create a more enriched mechanism and standard for experience exchanges and case sharing.

Parallel Forums: UNESCO-ICHEI Delivered Several Keynote Speeches to Deepen Multilateral Cooperation

Professor Han Wei, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the IIOE Secretariat, shared the latest achievements of the Greater Bay Area Data Centre of Higher Education at Southern University of Science and Technology - the Report on Higher Education and Economic Development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and Yangtze River Delta regions (2023). Professor Han Wei comprehensively analyzed the trends in higher education investment and talent cultivation in various regions, with a special focus on the development opportunities of Guangdong's higher education institutions relying on the the Greater Bay Area, as well as the challenges in industry-research cooperation and university-enterprise collaboration.

Professor Liang Jiansheng, Executive Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, delivered a speech titled "Viewing the Globalization of Higher Education through the Development of Southern University of Science and Technology". He showcased the unique aspects of the university in promoting the internationalization of higher education, specifically introducing its international experts in teaching and research. Professor Liang also shared the achievements and major breakthroughs of Southern University of Science and Technology in cutting-edge scientific fields and its leading role in research and development, engaging in in-depth exchanges with experts from various fields present at the event.

Ms. Bi Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, gave a keynote speech titled "Gathering Global Wisdom and Promoting International Industry-Higher Education Cooperation - A Case of UNESCO-ICHEI". She detailed the mechanisms and global influence of the IIOE National Centres. Adhering to the principle of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits", IIOE aims to build an international digital ecosystem in higher education. IIOE collaborates with 96 HEIs from 34 countries, covering 9 sub-regions. The 11 IIOE National Centres focus on promoting international industry-higher education cooperation, establishing localized networks of HEIs, implementing IIOE projects locally, and conducting customized projects and policy dialogues. In 2024, UNESCO-ICHEI will intensify its efforts in industry-higher education cooperation, organizing several high-level regional policy dialogues to explore the frontier trends in artificial intelligence and launching a series of IIOE generative AI training programs for teaching personnel.

The forum hosted four major parallel forums, presenting multiple scientific research outcomes, covering various cutting-edge scientific fields such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology. At the "Endless Frontiers - Disruptive Technologies Impacting the World in 2050" parallel forum, more than ten scientific and technological advancements leading to future development, such as quantum technology, were prominently released and discussed, extending the global industrial chain. The conference also involved deep discussions on topics like the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Science and Innovation Cluster, global forefront life sciences and biotechnology, artificial intelligence and frontier cross-disciplinary sciences, aiming towards a world-class global industrial chain vision for 2035 and 2050.

At the closing ceremony on January 7th, as one of the co-organizers of the forum, Professor Li Ming, Secretary-General of the IIOE Secretariat, Founding Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Chair Professor at Southern University of Science and Technology, and Vice-President of the Global Frontier Science 50 Think Tank, affirmed the significant success of the forum. The forum provided attendees with extensive opportunities for exchange, facilitating deeper cooperation, strengthened research, and joint development among all parties. The application of AI and other cutting-edge technologies in various major fields holds endless possibilities. Most importantly, all parties should adhere to principles of fairness, inclusiveness, and a people-centred approach to jointly build a digital future. Professor Li Ming looked forward to the forum gradually evolving into an international conference, further strengthening cooperation and exchange with the global science community, gathering wisdom and strength worldwide, and exerting greater influence.