Chen Qiufan (AKA Stanley Chan) is an award-winning science fiction writer, screenwriter, creative producer, and columnist. He is the president of the World Chinese Science Fiction Association and the founder of the content development studio Thema Mundi.

Chen joins the show to discuss his latest novel, AI 2041: Ten Visions for the Future, which he co-wrote with former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee.

Part science fiction, part science forecasting, over ten short stories AI 2041 imagines the different ways, good and bad, that AI will impact our society. The central thesis? AI will transform our lives, but we remain masters of our fate.

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Show Notes:

Qiufan’s sci-fi influences
When did the third wave of AI begin?
Why is modern sci-fi so dystopian?
How AI is going to impact education
Hidden biases & the objective function
Deep fakes & narrative collapse
Accelerationism, balance & Daoism
Do we need real jobs?
Happiness is a byproduct
Living in a post-scarcity society
What’s next?
MORE!

Books Mentioned:

AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future; by Kai-Fu Lee & Chen Qiufan
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory; by David Graeber
Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu
Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek; by Manu Saadia
Waste Tide; by Chen Qiufan

Chen Qiufan — AI 2041: 10 Visions of Our Future (EP.164)

Infinite Loops