Literary, artistic creation facing significant challenges amid rapid development of AI: novelist

In the realm of literary and artistic creation, writers, directors, and artists alike will face significant challenges from rapid development of the artificial intelligence (AI), renowned Chinese sci-fi writer Liu Cixin told CCTV on Friday.

The three-day China Science Fiction Convention 2024 opened on Saturday in Beijing's Shougang Park. Ahead of the event, CCTV sat down with Liu, author of the best-selling sci-fi epic "The Three-Body Problem," which won him numerous awards at home and aboard, including the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel, to share his insights into the fast development of AI as well as the future of human civilization.

With the fast-growing of AI, such as Sora, an AI model developed by OpenAI that creates film-like scenes based on instructions, some fear that these ever-involving tools would one day have the potential to limit human creativity and imagination.

In this regard, Liu said that in terms of creativity, human may outrace the AI at present, but in the long-run, it is possible for the AI to gain the upper hand and by that time, people engaged in literary and artistic creation might face huge challenges.

"From the perspective of imagination and creativity, AI indeed falls short compared to humans. However, it's difficult to draw a conclusion about its long-term development based solely on the present. So, I believe that even if human imagination won't be limited by AI, it may even be stimulated, promoted, and possibly surpassed by it. [Therefore], in the creative field, whether it's writers, directors, or artists, they all face significant challenges from AI," said Liu.

When talking about the Star Trek and a signature line "live long and prosper" from it, Liu offered his interpretation as he said that if a civilization wants to "live long and prosper," it needs to explore the outside world.

"In my understanding, 'live long and prosper" means that a civilization, from the perspective of 'Star Trek', has to maintain its spirit of exploration if it wants to exist for a long time and maintain a prosperous state. The stars and the seas are humanity's final frontiers. This means that our ultimate frontier is infinitely distant. We must continue to explore this unknown world, especially space and other uncharted territories," said Liu.

Literary, artistic creation facing significant challenges amid rapid development of AI: novelist

Israeli military operation has stimulated worsening displacement crisis in Gaza, miring displaced civilians in stern and harsh living and security conditions, in the devastating aftermath of Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives in Rafah.

The Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced Saturday that teams recovered nine bodies and rescued several wounded victims, including a child, from an Israeli bombing attack on a house in the middle of the enclave. Witnesses have said Israeli shelling led to the destruction of the house and caused extensive damage to homes and property.

The Israeli forces on Saturday expanded its simultaneous ground and air attacks across Gaza following its demand to evacuate residents from large areas in the northern and central regions.

Since the onset of the ground operations in the Rafah area, hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been trying to flee from the area.

Around 300,000 have already fled from Rafah. However the areas they are moving to had mostly been turned into rubble in previous attacks, with practically no infrastructure, water supply, food supply, or medical points to provide decent healthcare. Yet people are moving to that rubble for the sake of fleeing the ongoing bombardment and devastation. Those who are not moving are extremely fearful of the imminent death and destruction that might come for them once again.

"They threw evacuation leaflets at us. We fled from Rafah to the city of Deir al-Balah in search of safety, but unfortunately we did not find any safety here. Even our economic conditions have now become very difficult and we no longer have anything. Our lives have become harsh in all aspects," said Sherine al-Attar, a displaced Palestinian in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah.

"The school in which we lived was subjected to severe bombardment. We fled from there under the shrapnel of shells. We searched for any safe place we could reach to protect our children. After much difficulty, we arrived in Deir al-Balah to join the rest of our family here," said Fatima Rayhan, another displaced Palestinian.

Israeli military operation stimulates worsening displacement crisis in Gaza