Liu Cixin and Wang Junkang Debate: Can AI Replace Human Writers?

At the 2024 China Science Fiction Convention, two prominent figures in Chinese sci-fi, Liu Cixin and Wang Jinkang, held a cross-era discussion about how AI is influencing literary creation.
Confronted by the swift emergence of generative AI, the two writers revealed nuanced but significant differences in their perspectives: one emphasizes the irreplaceable essence of the human soul, while the other anticipates a technological revolution.
Liu Cixin: AI Still Lacks a "Soul" and Cannot Replace Human Writers
Liu Cixin stated in his speech that although AI performs remarkably in logical reasoning and data accumulation, it still cannot fully replace human authors. He believes that the essence of literary creation lies in understanding life and capturing subtle, complex emotions—something AI lacks because it has no real-life experience.
Nevertheless, he also cautioned his fellow writers: they must not grow complacent and should stay alert to technological progress. In his view, AI is currently just a "tool," but its evolution is extremely rapid, and whether it will ever develop genuine creativity remains an open question.
Wang Jinkang: Sci-Fi Creation Will Undergo "Revolutionary Changes"
In contrast to Liu Cixin's cautious stance, Wang Jinkang 's viewpoint is more radical. He openly stated that artificial intelligence will bring revolutionary changes to science fiction writing. Wang Jinkang believes that AI's powerful simulation capabilities align closely with the traits of sci-fi literature, which values grand concepts and rigorous logic.
He foresees that future sci-fi creation may evolve into a new model of "human-machine collaboration," where AI helps humans push past the limits of imagination to construct more expansive and precise fantasy worlds. This technological wave will not spell the end of literature; instead, it may become a powerful tool in crafting the next generation of classic sci-fi works.
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At the 2024 China Science Fiction Convention, two prominent figures in Chinese sci-fi, Liu Cixin and Wang Jinkang, held a cross-era discussion about how AI is influencing literary creation.
Confronted by the swift emergence of generative AI, the two writers revealed nuanced but significant differences in their perspectives: one emphasizes the irreplaceable essence of the human soul, while the other anticipates a technological revolution.
Liu Cixin: AI Still Lacks a "Soul" and Cannot Replace Human Writers
Nevertheless, he also cautioned his fellow writers: they must not grow complacent and should stay alert to technological progress. In his view, AI is currently just a "tool," but its evolution is extremely rapid, and whether it will ever develop genuine creativity remains an open question.
Wang Jinkang: Sci-Fi Creation Will Undergo "Revolutionary Changes"
In contrast to Liu Cixin's cautious stance,
He foresees that future sci-fi creation may evolve into a new model of "human-machine collaboration," where AI helps humans push past the limits of imagination to construct more expansive and precise fantasy worlds. This technological wave will not spell the end of literature; instead, it may become a powerful tool in crafting the next generation of classic sci-fi works.
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