Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 220 The Future Has Arrived, Yan Zhi Makes Sense

At 2:13 PM, the hashtag "Jiang Qing's Open Class Live Stream" suddenly appeared at number three on Weibo's trending topics list.

The Q&A page is constantly updating with live footage of the USTC campus. Some USTC students are seen extending selfie sticks out of the lecture hall windows, and the camera shows a steady stream of people entering the Physics and Chemistry Building.

Tech bloggers on Weibo were seizing the opportunity, taking notes while watching the live broadcast, all planning to interpret and analyze the information revealed in Jiang Qing's lecture as soon as possible, and then use it to gain popularity.

Needless to say, those in the industry have all turned their attention to this.

A beacon of the industry like Jiang Qing can unintentionally influence the direction of the entire industry with just a few words.

Moreover, this time he is going to talk about robots, which is a major focus of attention all over the world right now.

The top three trending topics on Douyin are all related to online courses.

In the most-liked video, a boy wearing a baseball cap rolls up his thesis into a megaphone shape and shouts, "Jiang Shen! I've brought your thesis from three years ago to ask you questions!"

The comment section refreshes in seconds.

"This year's students know how to be fans!"

"I suggest launching an online wishing well service!"

"This programmer has already grabbed his stool and is ready to learn from the masters!"

"Let me see Jiang Shen's handsome face!"

……

Meanwhile, at the West Third Auditorium of USTC.

Jiang Qing glanced at the noisy crowd below the stage, smiled, rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, and tapped the podium with her fingers. The metallic clanging sound quickly quieted the noisy lecture hall.

An animated GIF of a Boston Dynamics robot dog slipping on the snow appeared on the electronic screen behind him, which made several boys in plaid shirts in the front row laugh.

"Everyone is already familiar with today's topic, so let's get straight to the point. Last year, when I visited a robot factory in Lin'an, a friend asked me..."

He paused deliberately, swiping his finger across the touchscreen to bring up the page titled "A New Interpretation of the Three Laws of Robotics."

"What level are our robots at now?"

Students immediately raised their hands.

"Dr. Jiang, the robot factory you mentioned is Unitree, right? Unitree's quadruped robot dog even appeared on the Spring Festival Gala!"

Good-natured laughter rang out as a boy wearing a USTC T-shirt raised his phone, displaying a newly released video of a robot dog performing, courtesy of Unitree Robotics.

"This classmate seems to know a lot. That's right, my friend is Wang Xingxing, the CEO of Yushu."

Jiang Qing smiled and opened the new page.

"In fact, there is still a gap between the development of robots in China and some European and American countries, but the rapid development in the past two years is obvious to all."

He pointed to the big screen.

"But the real breakthrough lies here."

The screen switches to a 3D model of a neural network.

"When robots can learn autonomously in simulated environments, just like human babies learn to walk by falling down, that will be a true leap in evolution!"

Chen Duling was squeezed into the aisle of the fifth row, her baseball cap brim almost covering her eyes.

Suddenly, the live stream chat on the tablet of the girl in the front seat was filled with comments like "Jiang Shen's wrist lines are more beautiful than the formulas in my thesis." She subconsciously looked over and found that although the netizens' focus was strange, there was nothing wrong with it.

It really is quite beautiful.

"In the future, robots will not just be cold tools, but partners that can understand the environment."

Jiang Qing suddenly walked to the side of the stage, bent down and pulled out a silver-gray mechanical arm from under the podium, arousing everyone's curiosity as they craned their necks.

"This is the intelligent robotic arm developed by our Wuwen team, codenamed Little Tiger. It just passed the industrial scenario test last week."

As the entire audience held their breath, the robotic arm suddenly and precisely picked up the chalk from the podium and wrote "hello world" on the blackboard to the side.

The girl in the front row raised her hand curiously.

"Jiang Shen! Can it recognize dialect commands?"

"Currently, it supports seven major domestic dialects."

Jiang Qing said "Make a cup of coffee" in Cantonese, and the robotic arm immediately turned to the pre-prepared coffee machine to operate it.

"However, it's easy to get confused when you encounter Northeastern dialect. For example, you need to practice making vague instructions like 'zhengdian sha' (整点啥)."

A student from Northeast China in the audience shouted, his face turning red.

"That's called the art of language!"

The burst of laughter instantly lifted the roof off.

Chen Duling gazed at the figure on the stage, who seemed to be handling the situation with ease, and a slight smile played on her lips.

The spirited young man of five years ago has now become a god who controls the entire scene.

"Dr. Jiang!"

A girl wearing thick glasses suddenly stood up in the back row.

"Siasun Robot & Automation Co., Ltd. says it will achieve full automation of automobile production lines within five years. Do you think this will lead to a large number of workers losing their jobs?"

The entire room fell silent.

Jiang Qing gently placed the water cup on the podium, and the LCD screen automatically switched to the 2021 industrial robot production growth curve.

"my country's industrial robot production increased by 63.9% year-on-year from January to September this year, but it is still far from replacing humans."

He tapped the screen to bring up a video of the car factory.

"Just like twenty years ago when people feared ATMs would cause bank employees to lose their jobs, it actually spurred the creation of new fintech jobs."

Chen Duling secretly took out her phone to record a conversation, her science-oriented instincts allowing her to accurately capture keywords.

"Intelligent manufacturing is not about replacement, but about creating higher-value human-machine collaboration scenarios."

Jiang Qing spoke at a measured pace, her clear voice carried clearly through the auditorium's speakers, ensuring everyone could hear her distinctly.

"Jiang Shen!"

The boy in the black hoodie jumped up the moment Jiang Qing finished speaking.

Musk says that home robots will be ubiquitous within ten years. What do you think?

"Mr. Lei asked me yesterday if I could pre-order the same product as Little Tiger Lab."

Jiang Qing smiled and pulled up the WeChat chat history to project it onto the screen. In Lei Jun's chat box, there was a "waiting obediently.jpg" emoji.

"But I told him to focus on improving the phone's heat dissipation first."

Everyone immediately understood, and amidst the burst of laughter, Chen Duling took advantage of the chaos to move forward two rows.

As Jiang Qing bent down to adjust the robotic arm, she finally saw his sharply defined profile.

"Getting back to the main point, humanoid robots have made significant progress in motion control, perception capabilities, and human-computer interaction at this stage."

After straightening up, Jiang Qing displayed a 3D model of the humanoid robot on the large screen.

"Advanced servo motors and precision sensors enable robots to mimic human movements, while sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies give them a certain degree of autonomous decision-making ability."

"However, despite significant technological advancements, many limitations remain, such as insufficient battery life and navigation difficulties in complex environments..."

Jiang Qing spoke eloquently on stage, and as he delivered his professional presentation, the audience gradually quieted down, with only his clear and melodious voice echoing in the air.

Chen Duling's gaze swept past the group of figures in front of her and locked onto the person on the stage. Her originally cold eyes were filled with gentle light.

“Developing robots faces many technical challenges, mainly including motion coordination, energy efficiency, and perception capabilities.”

“Smooth motion requires complex control algorithms and high-precision hardware support, but current technology has not yet reached the ideal level.”

"Energy efficiency issues limit the robot's battery life in practical applications, affecting its practicality."

"The continuous upgrading of robots has also brought about a series of social and ethical issues, with privacy protection becoming a focus of attention. The use of robots in public and private spaces may lead to the risk of data leakage." "And this is one of the main reasons why Wuwen Technology and USTC jointly established the [Artificial Intelligence Ethics Laboratory]."

At this point, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, and several people proudly held up signs that read "Ethics Laboratory," drawing envious gasps from the crowd.

Jiang Qing smiled and pointed at the group of people. Seeing them shrink back and sit down obediently, she continued speaking.

"In the future, the technological development of robots will focus on improving intelligence and energy management. Through the advancement of deep learning and natural language processing technologies, robots will have stronger autonomous learning capabilities and more natural human-computer interaction."

"In terms of energy management, breakthroughs in new materials and battery technology are expected to extend battery life and improve practicality. As the technology matures, humanoid robots will play a role in more fields..."

Some people in the audience were taking notes on their phones, some were writing in their notebooks, and others were staring at Jiang Qing without blinking, whether they were engrossed in what he was saying or just looking at his face.

At this moment, Jiang Qing paused, his expression turning serious.

"I must remind everyone that the future is already here."

Everyone present suddenly straightened their backs instinctively.

"The future direction of artificial intelligence development is general artificial intelligence, which is based on humans, allowing robots to think, act, and handle problems in different fields just like us humans."

"It is smarter and more versatile than ordinary people. It can even self-renew and learn. What it lacks is the ability to act, that is, it needs to be combined with the physical body so that it can help us move."

"It is certain that robots, like intelligent driving electric vehicles, will gradually enter our daily lives. This is a trend of the times, just as smartphones have become more and more popular and electric vehicles with autonomous driving functions have gradually replaced mechanical oil vehicles. Robots will become one of the three major components of AI-connected everything."

"Smartphones + self-driving cars + robots are like wealthy families in ancient times who had carriages and drivers, as well as servants to do housework. The servants to do housework will be replaced by humanoid robots, freeing people from daily chores such as washing clothes, folding clothes, serving tea and water, washing dishes, and patrolling the home for security."

"And all of what I've said could potentially be a key factor in bringing these things to fruition. I hope that you will all leave your mark on the history of robotics development."

Faced with Jiang Qing's sudden dose of inspirational wisdom, the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, and many felt as if they were shouldering a heavy responsibility.

Chen Duling's lips curled up slightly, thinking that this person was indeed inspiring.

Without a sound, the sun outside the window had already sunk, turning the sky a golden-red hue.

Suddenly, a countdown popped up on the electronic screen, and cries of agony immediately erupted.

Everyone was so engrossed in the conversation that they didn't realize it was almost 4:30.

"Alright, we still have half an hour left. Next is the interactive session. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

Jiang Qing leaned against the edge of the podium with a smile, looking around at the group of young faces below the stage.

As soon as he finished speaking, his arm was raised and blocked most of Chen Duling's view from the back row.

A girl in a JK uniform jumped and waved her hands, seizing the opportunity first.

"Jiang Shen once answered the question about your ideal type in Peach Blossom Village. I would like to ask if your ideal type has changed now?"

An excited scream suddenly erupted, and Chen Duling subconsciously pursed her lips.

"This question doesn't seem to have much to do with our topic today, but I can answer you: I like people who don't gossip."

Jiang Qing blinked, and the robotic arm behind her simultaneously made a shrugging motion.

"Look, it's also complaining about your gossip."

The screen displayed an underscore emoji, causing a burst of laughter from the audience.

Amidst the laughter, Chen Duling took advantage of a gap in the swaying crowd to move forward two more steps.

A boy wearing glasses turned his head and paused for a moment, his eyes suddenly widening.

"You...you're that..."

Chen Duling silently raised her index finger to her lips and gave him a slight smile.

The boy blushed instantly, nodded hurriedly, turned around, and didn't forget to secretly take a picture of her profile and send it to the dormitory group.

"Holy crap! Chen Duling actually came to listen to Jiang Shen's lecture!"

The dormitory group chat exploded with a bunch of exclamation marks.

On the podium, Jiang Qing saw that the atmosphere was great and casually made a joke.

"There were two things I was most afraid of when I was in school."

He held up two fingers.

"First, the professor said, 'Jiang Qing, you should answer this question.' Second, the cafeteria lady said, 'Jiang Qing, you're here to mooch free soup again.'"

The bursts of laughter from the audience immediately made the window frames vibrate.

After the joke, Jiang Qing called out a few more people.

Before we knew it, the open class was coming to an end.

"I see that there are still many students in the back row who haven't asked any questions. Could you please pass the microphone to the students in the back row?"

Seeing that there were still many people crammed together in the back row, Jiang Qing smiled and made a suggestion.

Soon, the microphone was handed to a boy wearing glasses.

Strangely, after receiving the microphone, he didn't ask any questions. Instead, his expression changed several times before he revealed a mysterious smile.

"I want to give this opportunity to someone else."

After saying that, he handed the microphone behind him and moved away.

"what?"

"This is... Chen Duling!"

"How could she be here?!"

"Ah! My reasoning is justified!"

……

A series of exclamations suddenly erupted.

The crowd parted automatically, and Chen Duling appeared in everyone's sight with a bewildered expression.

Jiang Qing stared at the familiar figure for a moment, then lowered her eyebrows.

"This student looks familiar. May I ask what's wrong?"

Chen Duling quickly calmed down, and smiled faintly while holding the microphone.

"I would like to ask..."

She stared intently at the figure on the stage.

"If robots develop emotions, will they be able to understand human preferences?"

The sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly filled the air.

Jiang Qing stepped down from the podium and slowly approached her.

"This is a question worth exploring. It's like how someone sent anonymous packages to the lab for four years, and even now, I still can't analyze the sender's psychology using AI."

"Will it understand later?"

As Chen Duling watched him get closer and closer, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"But I believe that as AI continues to evolve, it will eventually understand."

Jiang Qing stopped in front of her.

"Um……"

Chen Duling looked up at him, a sly smile flashing in her eyes.

"Yan~ makes sense."

Jiang Qing was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyes.

The flashes of light instantly filled the room, capturing the moment.

(End of this chapter)