Chen Qiufan: AI 2041: Ten Visions for our Future

Qiufan will present his latest book AI 2041: Ten visions for our future (2021). The book is co-authored by the Taiwanese computer scientist and former president of Google China Kai-Fu Lee(Chinese:李開復) (Best Book of the Year on Amazon, Financial Times and New York Times). The topic of the discussion will be «Think Beyond: How can we design the future with science fiction?»

Chen Qiufan is a representative Chinese speculative fiction author, translator, creative producer and curator. He was born in Shantou, Guangdong in 1981 and studied in Peking University on Chinese Literature and Film Arts. He is honorary president of the Chinese Science Fiction Writers Association and has a seat on the Xprize Foundation Science Fiction Advisory Council.

Qiufan started his writing career in 1997 and published over 100 stories and 9 books so far. His works have been translated into many languages and received multiple domestic and international awards including Chinese Nebula Awards, Galaxy Awards, World F&SF Translation Award, and Mao Dun Literature Newcomer Award. His works include the novel Waste Tide (published in 2019, first in 2013, Locus Best New Novel Finalist, Best Sci-fi of the year on The Guardian) and The Algorithms for Life (2019, Best Fiction of the year on Asian Weekly).

The author had previously worked for Google and Baidu for over a decade. And he was the former Vice President of Noitom, a technology start-up that focuses on the fields of motion capture and virtual reality. All of these experiences triggered his reflexive thinking and writing on topics as cybernetic society, inequality and ethics of AI era, digital labor and relationship, climate change and environmental issues, etc. He currently lives and works in Shanghai.

Chen Qiufan has been selected by Château de Lavigny’s Writer’s Residency program, and will stay there from August