Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue: What Would You Send in a Time Capsule to 100 Years Later?

The pace of technological advancement is beyond imagination—how will we coexist with machines?

At the 2025 China Entrepreneur Impact Annual Conference (formerly the China Business Leaders Summit) held in Beijing on December 6–7, a cross-disciplinary dialogue explored AI and the future. Participants included Wang Xiaochuan (Founder & CEO of Baichuan Intelligence), Xu Chi (Founder & CEO of XREAL), Chen Qiufan (Vice Chair of the Sci-Fi Literature Committee at the China Writers Association and author of *AI Future Tense*), and Ji Shisan (Founder of Guokr).

**Key Insights from the Dialogue**: 1. **Xu Chi**: The ideal interaction is "unconscious interaction." Today, we command machines, but post-human-machine fusion, they’ll anticipate our needs. 2. **Wang Xiaochuan**: Embracing AI eliminates identity anxiety. Like *Life of Pi*, adversity fosters clarity about who we are. 3. **Ji Shisan**: We need regulatory "brakes" on AI’s addictive applications. Human reward systems are easily hacked—we must tread carefully. 4. **Chen Qiufan**: Future AI may understand our intent instantly, executing tasks autonomously while self-correcting.

**2039: A Glimpse into the Future** - **Wang Xiaochuan**: By 2030, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) will emerge, accelerating progress exponentially. Human-machine fusion will redefine interfaces, elevating civilization to a symbiotic state. - **Xu Chi**: We’ll transition from screens to glasses or brain-computer interfaces, enabling seamless, proactive AI assistance. - **Chen Qiufan**: With non-invasive brain devices, "intent computing" could let us communicate with species like whales or plants by 2040. - **Ji Shisan**: Brain-computer interfaces will revolutionize creativity, enabling instant world-building and personalized virtual markets.

**Coexisting with Machines** - **Ji Shisan**: Younger generations will view machines as natural extensions, free of the existential angst older generations face. - **Chen Qiufan**: "Adversarial creativity" is vital—training cognitive "muscles" to resist over-reliance on AI. Education must adapt to foster agency. - **Xu Chi**: Historically, disruptions (e.g., cars replacing horses) resolve into new norms. AGI will expand human potential, from space exploration to longevity. - **Wang Xiaochuan**: AI evolves from tool to partner, helping us answer "Who am I?" without competitive anxiety.

**Role Reversal: Sci-Fi vs. Startups** - **Xu Chi** (as writer): A dystopian tale where a man discovers his "perfect life" was an AI-generated illusion. - **Chen Qiufan** (as entrepreneur): Enhancing human agency to counter AI-driven homogenization, rooted in cultural diversity. - **Wang Xiaochuan** (as writer): A cosmic perspective—humanity as part of a "nature reserve" for higher civilizations. - **Ji Shisan** (as entrepreneur): A neurotech firm boosting brainpower via gene editing and interfaces, preserving human uniqueness.

**Time Capsule to 2125** - **Chen Qiufan**: A handwritten *Tao Te Ching*—a relic that might inspire machines to recreate humanity. - **Ji Shisan**: An anatomical diagram of a giraffe’s recurrent laryngeal nerve, symbolizing evolution’s imperfect yet beautiful paths. - **Wang Xiaochuan**: Two NVIDIA 590 chips—the 2012 "spark" of AI’s neural revolution. - **Xu Chi**: A "save file" of 2025’s world data, allowing future civilizations to reboot if needed.

**Hitting the Brakes on Tech** - **Wang Xiaochuan**: Banning AI in military systems to prevent self-preservation-driven catastrophes. - **Xu Chi**: Safeguarding human agency against addictive virtual escapism. - **Chen Qiufan**: Firewalling mind-altering tech and banning AI-weapon integration. - **Ji Shisan**: Regulating AI’s exploitation of dopamine-driven addiction.

The dialogue underscored both the promise and perils of AI, urging proactive stewardship to align technology with humanity’s enduring values.