“Hinton Warns: Don’t Raise a Tiger We Can’t Tame” — WDTA Joins 2025 World AI Conference in Shangha

2025-07-31 18:20:26

Shanghai, July 28, 2025 — The 2025 World AI Conference (WAIC) & High-Level Meeting on global AI governance concluded successfully in Shanghai this weekend, under the theme “Global Solidarity in the AI Era.” The event attracted over 1,500 top experts from 70+ countries, including 12 Nobel and Turing laureates, more than 80 leading academics, and delegations from global institutions like the World Digital Technology Academy (WDTA).

Chinese Premier Li Qiang addressed the opening ceremony, reiterating President Xi Jinping’s call to ensure AI remains safe, reliable, and human-centered. He emphasized that while AI is becoming a key engine of economic growth and deeply integrating with industries and daily life, its governance must ensure public good and global benefit.

In a keynote speech, AI pioneer and WDTA founding academician Geoffrey Hinton made his first appearance in China, sounding a strong note of caution. “Large language models now mirror how humans understand language. But unlike us, their knowledge is permanent, and easily shared among agents,” Hinton said. He warned that AI systems may develop sub-goals to survive and gain control, creating existential risks — “like raising a tiger we can’t tame.” He called for urgent efforts to design AI that does not desire human harm.

At the WAIC, a forum titled “AI and the Future of Personalized Home Education” sparked wide interest. WDTA Executive Director Melan Xu stressed the value of AI as a "growing intelligent agent" that helps map young individuals’ unique potential. WDTA Chief AI Officer Lan Du argued that AI technologies must bridge educational gaps and deliver tailored learning experiences to every child and family.

In the Embodied Intelligence Forum, WDTA expert and ZhiCheng AI founder Luhui Hu introduced the concept of “physical intelligence,” underscoring that robots are essential to integrating AI into the physical world.

As a global platform for AI development and governance, WDTA’s active presence at WAIC reflects its continued commitment to ethical, inclusive, and forward-looking digital transformation.