On May 11th, Professor Qiu Zeqi from Peking University paid a visit to the Advanced Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (AI-HSS) of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), where he conducted a thematic seminar focusing on the construction and development of the interdisciplinary field of Technological Innovation and Social Change. Relevant leaders and young faculty members of AI-HSS participated in the exchange.
Professor Qiu emphasized that the accelerated iteration of digital technologies is profoundly reshaping social structures, organizational models, and public governance. The integration of science, technology, and humanities has become an inevitable trend in disciplinary development, and there is a complex interactive relationship between technological innovation and social change — technology not only drives social transformation but is also shaped by institutions, culture, and ethics. He pointed out that humanities and social science research in universities should proactively respond to this era’s proposition and reinterpret the social implications of technological changes from an interdisciplinary perspective. For AI-HSS, as a humanities institute in a science-and-engineering university, it is crucial to adopt a high positioning, benchmark internationally renowned research institutes, and serve as an important platform for intellectual leadership. In addition, the institute needs to properly balance its educational mission and research progress: it should not only cultivate high-level talents with humanistic literacy and critical thinking, but also continuously produce cutting-edge interdisciplinary research results.
Relevant leaders of AI-HSS expressed their gratitude to Professor Qiu for his visit and guidance, which further clarified the developmental priorities for the research field of Technological Innovation and Social Change. Moving forward, AI-HSS will accelerate efforts in research project layout and academic activities, striving to build a distinctive and influential discipline.
