Language Is Disappearing: Relearning Self-Expression in the AI Era

Speaker: Zhang Danyang
Associate Professor, Distinguished Research Fellow, and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Foreign Languages, Shenzhen University
Shenzhen Overseas High-Level Talent
PhD in Education, University of Cambridge
Dual Master's Degrees in Applied Linguistics and Educational Technology, University College London

About the Talk:
AI is quietly changing the way we express the world.
From writing to translation, from image generation to video creation, language is no longer a uniquely human capability. Expression is becoming easier, but also increasingly similar.
In this era, we are beginning to face a new question:
When AI can speak for us, can we still truly "say ourselves"?
In this session, we will draw on multiple perspectives including linguistics, educational technology, artificial intelligence, and international communication to discuss:
* When AI can write, translate, and even create for us, why should we still learn languages?
* How are images, short videos, and AI-generated content shaping the way we understand the world?
* Why is Prompt not just a skill, but a form of thinking training?
* Is AI actually helping us express ourselves, or making our expression increasingly homogenized?
* What capabilities will truly be irreplaceable in the future?

What you will gain:
* Re-understand how AI is changing human expression from the perspectives of linguistics and educational technology.
* Understand how frontier research such as "multimodal literacy," "visual grammar," and "human-machine collaboration" affects our daily lives.
* Grasp the cognitive logic behind Prompt, not just learn Prompt techniques.
* Develop a new understanding of learning, expression, and creation in the AI era.
* Leave with a few questions worthy of long-term reflection, rather than a standard answer.

This is not only a discussion about AI and language, but also a thought experiment about "how the self is expressed."
In an era where AI is increasingly eloquent, perhaps what truly matters is whether we still retain "expression that has not been optimized."

Who should attend:
* Those interested in AI, ChatGPT, and future learning methods
* Those who wish to enhance their expression, writing, and communication skills
* Knowledge workers in education, media, content creation, product, design, and other fields
* Those who frequently collaborate with AI and want to truly understand AI rather than merely use it
* Those interested in interdisciplinary topics such as language, psychology, communication, and education
* Those who wish to rebuild independent thinking skills in an age of information explosion

Event Time: July 17 (Friday evening) 20:00-22:00
Event Venue: NEEDO Space, 8th Floor, Building A, Phase 1, China Merchants Group Qianhai Economic and Trade Center, Nanshan Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen