The Department of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences at Tsinghua University, alongside co-hosts SRT AI, Society & Social Dynamics (Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU), the Department of Psychology (Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU), and the Department of Geography (Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU), are jointly hosting the international conference “AI & Humans: Shaping the Future” from August 14-17, 2026, at the Awan Auditorium, Tsinghua University Southeast Asia Center, Bali. Co-chaired by Dan Zhang and Benjamin Becker, the conference centers on artificial intelligence, mental health, neuroscience, and environmental sustainability.
The event opened on August 14 with a closed-door session for organizers and keynote speakers. The following day’s official opening ceremony featured welcome remarks by Michael Tuori (Academic Director, Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center), followed by an address by Benjamin Becker, and concluding with an address by Stella Christie, Vice Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. This was followed by Keynote Session I featuring five speakers: Cecilia Cheng on AI and mental wellness, Xiaoqing Hu on AI-driven sleep models, Dan Zhang on EEG profiling in children and adolescents, Charlene Lam on anxiety in the age of AI, and Stella Christie on AI sustainability. The afternoon featured the Student Research Forum, showcasing research from graduate students across several universities.
On August 16, Keynote Session II brought six speakers covering topics from generative AI in Indonesia (Dicky C. Pelupessy), AI in neuroscience (Benjamin Becker), neural correlates of serial dependence (Yuanyuan Mi), dyslexia assessment and intervention (Shelley Xiuli Tong), environmental footprint of AI data centers (Yuyu Zhou), to the remote sensing for coastal sustainability (Hongsheng Zhang), and perceived social mobility (Zhansheng Chen). The day continued with two roundtable discussions on potential research collaborations, before concluding with a closing ceremony and certificate presentations for student presenters. The conference wrapped up on August 17 with an open discussion session for follow-up planning.
The Student Research Forum & Poster Session featured four poster presentations and seven oral presentations from students at Tsinghua, HKU, Cambridge, and Jilin University, spanning topics from large language models to AI-based interventions for family psychological wellbeing.
Overall, the conference reflects an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the relationship between AI and humanity, while serving as a platform for exploring long-term research and teaching collaborations between Tsinghua, HKU, and Indonesian partners including Universitas Indonesia and Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.