UCIS Central Calendar

This lecture will discuss the phenomenon of Metaverse and AI fever in China. Whereas Metaverse attempts to create a virtual and mixed reality that expands our external environment, AI tries to create artificial intelligence that extends our internal consciousness. Both are about creating a world that will fundamentally change the way we engage with people and the world, prompting us to question who we are and what we will become. Built on a discussion of paradoxes and challenges intrinsic in the development of AI and metaverse, this paper will primarily focus on the discourses of AI and Metaverse in China. I suggest that the debate about metaverse (Yuan yuzhou元宇宙) continues the May Fourth debate of Science and Metaphysics, establishing and doubting the power of science in contemporary context. Meanwhile, the discussion of AI also hinges upon its uncertainty and inevitability that will fundamentally change the course of humanity. Through an analysis of two films, Ne Zha (2019) and Goddamned Asura (2021, Taiwan), I will show some philosophical and religious solutions as suggested in these cinematic works in the Chinese studies Context.