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

Chapter 352 The Mischievous Rabbit

After staying in Shanghai for two more days, Jiang Qing bid farewell to Zhu Long and returned to Luyang.

Although Wang Churan sent him many messages wanting to thank him in person, his schedule was too tight, so he postponed it to another time.

The act of giving him the jewelry was merely a way for him to tell some people that his relationship with Wang Churan was unusual.

After all, she was his fan, and they had known each other for so long that they were now friends. He felt it was necessary to help this well-behaved girl avoid some trouble.

Moreover, it was just something I did casually.

After returning to Luyang, Jiang Qing was like a precise gear re-embedded into a high-speed machine.

He decisively ignored the online uproar, the discussions about the Bulgari dinner, and the various speculations about him and Wang Churan.

He quickly switched back to work mode, focusing on the large model team.

Within the company, many people are privately discussing why our CEO Jiang has suddenly become so diligent this year.

Jiang Qing added a seat in the office area where the large model team was located, and sat down to work with the employees.

Inside the glass wall, he was no longer the casually dressed focus of attention at the banquet, but had changed into a simple dark T-shirt, intently staring at the waterfall-like data streams and complex model structure diagrams on several screens in front of him.

“The logic reasoning module of layer C3 still has a probability of about three in ten thousand of directional deviation when processing long sequences.”

Zhang Bin pointed to an unusually steep curve on the screen, his brow furrowed.

"Although it is a low probability, in some high-precision application scenarios, such as medical auxiliary diagnosis, this deviation may be amplified."

Jiang Qing placed her hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward slightly, and scanned each node on the screen with sharp eyes.

"How is the optimization of the underlying architecture progressing? Have the test results for the previously mentioned [attention residual feedback loop] design come out yet?"

"It's out, Mr. Jiang. Under the new architecture, the stability of basic logical reasoning has improved by two orders of magnitude, but the computational overhead has also increased by nearly 15%. We are currently working on balancing optimization."

Another engineer quickly retrieved another set of data.

"Computational overhead is acceptable; stability is the priority."

Jiang Qing's tone was decisive.

"First, conduct small-scale integration tests on the new architecture at the C3 layer, focusing on monitoring the 0.03% deviation point. At the same time, activate Plan B and prepare two backup error correction mechanisms, one based on a rule base and the other based on real-time dynamic evaluation, to see which one responds faster and at a lower cost in extreme cases."

His fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up the code repository and pinpointing several key function modules.

"The parameter boundary values ​​here are set too idealistically. Real-world inputs often have glitches. By blurring the boundaries and adding a dynamic adaptation layer, the model can learn to hesitate at the critical point instead of arbitrarily jumping."

"Understood, we'll adjust it right away."

Several core engineers standing nearby responded in unison.

The discussion continued to deepen, ranging from algorithm principles to engineering implementation, and from probability distributions to hardware bottlenecks.

Jiang Qing has an extremely sharp mind and can always pinpoint the crux of a problem or propose a revolutionary solution.

Aside from the sounds of keyboard typing and mouse clicking, the office was filled with his clear and steady analysis of instructions, occasionally accompanied by team members' sudden realizations or heated technical debates.

An atmosphere of intense focus permeated the air.

It wasn't until the autumn winds of September began to dispel the sweltering heat of late summer and the campus of USTC was once again infused with vibrant life that Jiang Qing's pace slowed down slightly.

He added a new monthly routine: returning to the school to give open lectures to his junior classmates.

It's something he personally enjoys doing.

Spending more time with young people can make you feel more relaxed.

Friday, January 9th.

Half an hour before class was scheduled to start at 2 p.m., the large lecture hall, which can accommodate nearly 300 people, was already packed with people.

Temporary plastic stools were added to the passageway, and the back door and the windows on both sides were crowded with people craning their necks.

The buzzing of conversations, the rustling of pages turning, and the whirring of the air conditioner working hard to blow air all blended together to create a background soundscape filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"Luckily we arrived early and managed to snag a middle spot!"

"I heard that last semester some people came two hours early to reserve seats..."

"Dr. Jiang's lecture was excellent, insightful and humorous, and not at all boring."

"That's right, look who he is, a true tech genius!"

Shh...be quiet, it's about to start!

At exactly 2:00 PM, the front door of the classroom was pushed open.

Jiang Qing walked in wearing a simple shirt and trousers, carrying only a thin tablet and a thermos.

He wore his usual gentle smile and walked with a composed gait.

"good afternoon."

His voice was clearly transmitted through the microphone to every corner of the classroom, and a chorus of greetings rose and fell.

The noise quickly subsided.

"Last semester we talked about the childhood of artificial intelligence, from symbolism to connectionism in its first steps."

Jiang Qing placed the tablet on the podium and looked around the room.

"Today, we'll talk about its adolescence, a vibrant and rapidly growing stage, but also accompanied by various rebellions and troubles, which I call the 'AI Evolution Theory'."

He started with the historic moment when AlphaGo defeated human Go players, talked about the explosive growth brought about by deep learning, and then transitioned to the amazing capabilities and equally amazing flaws that AI is currently exhibiting.

The explanations are logically rigorous and easy to understand, using vivid metaphors and relatable examples to explain complex technical concepts.

When talking about the Shakespearean-style sonnets written by GPT-3, he imitated a few lines so vividly that it drew laughter from the classroom.

When he talked about the bizarre "multi-fingered monsters" generated by AI drawing tools, his helpless shrug drew laughter from the audience.

"Therefore, evolution is not all sunshine and rainbows."

Jiang Qing suppressed her smile and her tone became serious.

"The improvement of capabilities also means increased responsibility and blurred boundaries. When AI begins to imitate human language, create, and even perform simple reasoning, how should we define its consciousness? Or, does it really need consciousness? Or are we humans just using our limited cognition to project a phantom that we desire?"

The questions he posed were increasingly profound, eliciting thoughtful whispers and the constant rustling of notes from the audience.

Interactive sessions are always the highlight of the class.

The students' questions were varied, ranging from "Will AI completely replace programmers?" to "How to prevent AI from being used to create deepfakes and cyberattacks?" to "Does AI art have a soul?" to "The legislative dilemma of machine ethics."

Many of the questions are old news, but they are enduring and repeatedly mentioned.

Jiang Qing stood in the center of the podium, like a beacon of wisdom.

He listened patiently to each question, sometimes nodding, sometimes frowning slightly in thought.

The answers were both professional and rigorous, yet without any condescending preaching; rather, they were more like an inspiring dialogue.

He always manages to break down complex questions from the questioner's perspective, explaining them clearly in language the other person can understand, and often guiding them to deeper levels of thought. "Dr. Jiang, you just mentioned that the evolution of AI largely depends on the accumulation of data and computing power. Does this mean that future AI hegemony will be in the hands of a few giants with massive amounts of resources and data? Will ordinary developers and even small and medium-sized countries be completely marginalized?"

A boy wearing thick glasses stood up, his tone worried.

Jiang Qing nodded approvingly.

"This is a very crucial question. Indeed, at the current stage, computing power and data are important barriers. But the path of technological evolution is never singular."

He picked up his tablet and brought up a chart.

"Look, this is the development curve of the open source model community over the past five years. Giants have their advantages, but the power and creativity of the open source community are equally amazing. Just like Linux is to the operating system, the future AI ecosystem is likely to be multi-layered and diversified. Giants provide basic utilities, while the open source community and small and medium-sized teams cultivate in-depth expertise in vertical fields and even carry out disruptive innovation. The key is that we need to establish a more open collaboration mechanism and a fairer resource-sharing platform, which is a shared responsibility of academia and industry."

His answer demonstrated both a clear understanding of reality and conveyed a positive and constructive message, earning him enthusiastic applause.

Time flew by amidst the engaging Q&A session, and it was already 3:30 in the blink of an eye.

The sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a long beam of light in front of the podium.

"It's almost time."

Jiang Qing glanced at her watch and smiled as she looked down at the audience.

"Does anyone have any questions about the last two questions?"

In a corner at the back of the classroom near the window, several girls sat close together.

They looked no different from the students around them, with notebooks spread out on their desks and occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

However, the figure subtly protected in the middle was exceptionally slender and beautiful.

She wore a blue baseball cap pulled low, with a pair of slightly old-fashioned light brown glasses perched under the brim, making her already small face appear even smaller and more delicate.

She wore a simple white tank top and a dark blue pleated mini skirt, revealing her straight, fair calves, and a pair of clean white sneakers.

She was dressed in a refreshing style, like the girl next door you might see anywhere on campus, with barely noticeable light makeup.

Even with her low-key demeanor, her cool, scholarly air and the delicate collarbone lines outlined by her tank top still made her stand out in the crowd like a pearl temporarily covered by dust, whose brilliance was undeniable upon closer inspection.

However, everyone's attention in the classroom was focused on the podium, and no one noticed this corner.

She is Chen Duling.

After months of intensive filming in Hengdian, she didn't waste a moment. She got up early and sped off in her RV, arriving in Luyang at noon.

Without contacting Jiang Qing, she headed straight to the University of Science and Technology of China and found the classroom for the open class based on the information she had learned from chatting with Jiang Qing the day before.

Luckily, she met a few enthusiastic and discreet girls who helped her find a relatively secluded spot.

She sat quietly, her gaze, hidden beneath her hat brim, piercing through the crowd and fixed firmly on the podium where the speaker was speaking with such ease.

Watching his confident and composed demeanor as he spoke eloquently, seeing his focused and earnest profile as he answered questions, and witnessing his occasional bursts of humor that brought laughter to the entire room…

Scene after scene gradually overlapped with the image of that spirited young man from the depths of my memory, debating against all rivals in a Chinese university debate competition.

At that time, she was the host on stage, and he was the debater who overcame all obstacles and finally lifted the championship trophy.

Under the spotlight, she had cast her gaze countless times at that logical, sharp-tongued boy with bright eyes.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, their interaction at that time did not yield the expected results.

If she had been bolder back then, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Who could have imagined that, as time passed, fate would reunite them in such a dramatic way?
A warm current of memories flowed silently through my heart, carrying a touch of sweet emotion.

Now, he has shed the sharp edge of his early days, and instead possesses a deeper composure and calmness, like a polished jade, more lustrous and precious.

That calm and composed charm of being in complete control of the professional field captivated her.

Seeing Jiang Qing announce that they were moving on to the last two questions, a sly glint flashed in Chen Duling's clear eyes.

She turned her head slightly and leaned close to the ear of a girl next to her who had a ponytail and seemed to have a cheerful personality.

"Excuse me, could you do me a favor? Could you ask Dr. Jiang a question for me?"

The voice was soft and pleading.

The girl with the ponytail was engrossed in the classroom atmosphere when she heard this and turned to look at her in surprise. When she met Chen Duling's bright and captivating eyes, which were still hidden behind her glasses, she instantly understood and gave a knowing look that said, "I understand, I understand." She nodded vigorously with excitement and gossip, and asked in a whisper.

"Of course! Dudu, what do you want to ask?"

The girls around her also looked over curiously, their faces showing knowing smiles.

They had been extremely curious about the relationship between this female celebrity and Dr. Jiang for a long time, but they just didn't want to ask too much in class.

Chen Duling felt a little embarrassed by their stares, her cheeks flushed slightly, but she still bravely asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time.

She clasped her hands together and made a cute "please please" gesture to the girl with the ponytail.

The girl with the ponytail nodded, took a deep breath, and raised her hand high as Jiang Qing scanned the room for the last questioner, her voice clear and loud.

"Dr. Jiang! Over here!"

Jiang Qing's gaze was naturally drawn to this direction, and she smiled and nodded in that direction.

"Okay, please go ahead, student."

The girl with the ponytail stood up and, under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, asked the question that Chen Duling had asked her to ask.

"Dr. Jiang, you've been talking about the evolution of AI. My question is, in your opinion, is it possible for highly evolved AI in the future to truly distinguish those subtle and complex differences in human emotions? For example... like and love? Is it possible for it to understand, or even... possess, similar emotions?"

The moment this question was raised, the previously somewhat restless classroom quieted down considerably.

This is not a purely technical or ethical issue; it touches upon the core of human emotion, carrying a philosophical romance and profundity.

Many people looked on with interest, turning to Jiang Qing, eager for his answer.

Jiang Qing was quite surprised by the question, but also found it very interesting.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face, and leaned forward slightly.

"This is a very interesting question; it actually touches upon the nature of consciousness and the modeling of emotion..."

He suddenly paused in his speech.

Just now, as my gaze swept over the girl who asked the question, I saw that figure wearing a blue baseball cap, head slightly lowered, trying to minimize her presence… that familiar slender shoulder and neck line, that cool and aloof profile that couldn't be hidden even under the wide brim of the hat and glasses… and that seemingly casual yet meticulously chosen student uniform…

Jiang Qing's lips curved upwards in an extremely subtle way, almost imperceptibly, without anyone noticing.

It dawned on him.

No wonder this girl kept asking about my schedule yesterday, even asking about the time and location of my open class.

At the time, he was multitasking, busy replying to a work email, and didn't think much of it.

Now I finally understand what happened.

It turns out... the mischievous rabbit has come online.

(End of this chapter)