Lingnan professors highlight the coming impact of AI

Invited to present a topical case study at the Global Sustainable Development Congress held in Bangkok from 10-13 June, Lingnan University had a number of first-rate examples to choose from. 

The selection ultimately fell to Professor Xi Chen, Chair Professor and Director of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and his colleague Dr Hang Xiao, Assistant Professor in the same school, who opted to highlight the transformative potential of AI and what can be achieved through effective collaboration. 

By drawing on instances from recent work, their aim was to demonstrate how AI-driven innovations in various fields can lead to novel insights and breakthrough solutions which, in turn, can support sustainable development goals. 

Going further, they also spoke about the educational implications of the interdisciplinary approach and the increasing importance of integrating AI and sustainability principles in higher education to benefit research initiatives and overall knowledge transfer. 

By doing that, it will be possible to inspire new synergies between diverse areas of study and, as a result, make a greater contribution to the broader discourse about the digital revolution, sustainability, and the forces shaping our world. 

The presentation first noted the impact AI is already having at Lingnan in teaching courses on humanities, digital arts, and creative industries. New tools and processes are being integrated into the curriculum. Due attention, though, is also given to maintaining a focus on critical thinking and the other essential skills traditionally associated with one of Asia’s leading liberal arts universities. 

The challenge, of course, while teaching students to understand the potential of generative AI and use it to good effect, is not to neglect or “endanger” the long-held values and principles of an all-round tertiary education. 

The key is to employ digital assets to open up new approaches to teaching, learning and research in disciplines like history, philosophy, social sciences and languages, not simply in data science. 

Doing that is vital to ensure students are equipped to deal with the latest applications of AI in industry and to take their own research projects in exciting new directions. 

“We definitely want to use AI for the well-being of humans, whether for everyday convenience, enhanced creativity, or meeting social and environmental responsibilities,” Xiao said. “The economic impact and social value of integrating AI technology includes boosting productivity and creating new markets, improving public safety and health care.” 

As an example, researchers at Lingnan have been using AI to help with the segmentation of underwater images. This assists in monitoring the progress and habitat of different species. 

Another project, centred on low-light image enhancement with external memory, uses AI applications to improve the quality of images from CCTV cameras. And a separate research initiative focused on spectral analysis is enhancing the clarity of images shot by satellites. “This makes it possible to monitor environmental changes and assess natural resources in a more efficient and sustainable way,” Xiao said. 

When it comes to developing smart transport systems, Lingnan teams are now exploring how AI applications can help with everything from traffic optimisation to autonomous driving and accident prevention. 

Any results they achieve can also be expected to have direct relevance for the field of intelligent logistics, with the potential there to save energy, cut costs, and reduce carbon emissions. 

“We can also use AI to accelerate the development of carbon capture materials, as well as to convert carbon to useful products through catalysis and other means.” Chen said. “The best way is to capture CO2 directly from the air, which creates a so-called negative emission. The big data we study can be optimised by AI.”