09-10 September 2025 – Tsinghua SEA, Bali
The Bali Workshop: Tsinghua–Oxford Dialogue marked the beginning of a new chapter in international academic exchange, uniting students and professors from two of the world’s most prestigious universities. Hosted at the Cloud Lounge of the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center in Bali, the forum provided an inspiring setting for participants to engage in dialogue on the humanistic and ethical challenges brought by artificial intelligence, creativity, and technology. This inaugural forum highlighted not only the power of cross-cultural learning but also the urgency of addressing the societal transformations AI continues to bring.
The program opened with welcoming remarks from Wang Shidong, followed by presentations and discussions that spanned philosophy, ethics, and literature. Day one featured three sessions chaired by Xia Ying and Pieter Francois, where speakers explored topics such as AI’s influence on human autonomy, the moral alignment of language models, and the redefinition of creativity in the age of digital tools. With peer reviews and professors’ commentaries interwoven throughout, the sessions fostered an interactive and critical learning environment.
The second day deepened these conversations with sessions chaired by Fanqi Zeng and Brian Earp. Presenters examined AI through diverse lenses, from the mindfulness movement and contemporary ideology to global inequalities and the ethics of AI companionship. Jiayi Bo’s exploration of Heidegger’s Gestell, Teodor Balmus’s focus on ethical guardrails, and Maya Mehra’s reflection on AI’s environmental costs were among the highlights.
By the workshop’s conclusion, it was clear that the Bali Dialogue had achieved more than an exchange of research—it had built bridges across disciplines, cultures, and perspectives. The range of voices underscored the importance of viewing AI not solely as a technological phenomenon but as a deeply human one, demanding cooperation and critical reflection. This first Tsinghua–Oxford undergraduate humanities forum, hosted at the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center, set a strong foundation for future dialogues, shaping a shared commitment to understanding technology’s role in humanity’s future.