Special Topic: 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference & the Second Green Industry and Sustainable Consumption Expo. If you have followed two "breakout anthropologists" on social media, this dialogue scheduled for October 21 is not to be missed.
One is Xiang Biao, author of Use Yourself as a Method and a thought guide for countless young people. He proposed the concept of the "nearby," reminding us to be wary of algorithms driving people apart; confronting the AI wave head-on, he asks: when AI takes over information, knowledge, and text, what remains that is uniquely human and irreplaceable? In his view, the greatest impact of AI is not job displacement, but the reshaping of social relationships. When everything becomes standardized and calculable, how do we preserve genuine human connection?
The other is Alan Macfarlane, a Lifetime Fellow in Anthropology and History at the University of Cambridge, affectionately called "Cambridge Grandpa" by Chinese netizens. An octogenarian scholar who has visited China more than twenty times, he has devoted himself to the underlying logic of civilization and modernity, and has gained a massive young following on short-video platforms. Spanning thousands of years of civilization, he observes how humanity has repeatedly adapted to technological upheaval; facing AI, he re-examines from the perspective of civilizational history: beneath the wave of technology, how should human independence of character and civilizational diversity endure?
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2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference Headline Dialogue: The "AI+" Era and Humanity's Future. From October 20 to 22, the 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference will be held in Shanghai. Xiang Biao and Macfarlane will engage in a profound conversation around the "AI+" era and humanity's future. This is not a technology launch event, not a one-way lecture, but a collision of two classic humanistic perspectives: Xiang Biao is rooted in contemporary society, focusing on how AI erodes publicness and dissolves the "nearby," and contemplating how humans and AI can coexist; Macfarlane stands within the long river of millennia of civilization, using a comparative anthropological lens to look back at previous technological revolutions and assess how AI will rewrite the underlying cosmology of human civilization.
When the young thinker behind "When in doubt, ask Xiang Biao" dialogues with the Cambridge historian who bridges Eastern and Western civilizations, they will jointly explore: ✅ In the AI+ wave, are we truly liberated, or domesticated by algorithms? ✅ As technology iterates at breakneck speed, how should a sustainable human society be built? ✅ How do we safeguard the human experiences, emotions, and genuine relationships that AI cannot replicate? ✅ Facing an uncertain future, how can ordinary people rebuild their inner order?
Having watched countless clips online, this time you can hear the complete dialogue in person. You can witness their improvisational exchanges on site and see sparks of thought fly; you will also have the opportunity to pose your own questions to the two scholars. Whether you are a longtime reader of Xiang Biao, a fan of Macfarlane, or simply someone concerned about AI, civilization, youth survival, and a sustainable future, you are welcome to attend. Beyond the noisy technological carnival, let us return together to the human self and ask: in the AI era, where should humanity go?
Registration Channel Open for a Limited Time