Dr. Hong Xiaowen, former Chairman of Microsoft Asia Pacific Research and Development Group and former Dean of Microsoft Research Asia, recently shared his vision for the future of human intelligence and artificial intelligence collaboration at the sixth Beijing North Latitude Summit Dialogue. He stated, "We have officially entered a new era of AI and human intelligence (AI+HI) co-creation, where work patterns, organizational logic, and the core competitiveness of both individuals and institutions will undergo profound changes." He further emphasized, "Human value becomes even greater in the age of AI. AI is a tool to expand human cognition and action, but defining direction, making judgments, and taking responsibility remain the core functions of humans. The future society will ultimately be a collaborative ecosystem of AI and human intelligence."
To clearly differentiate the levels of human and machine intelligence, Dr. Hong proposed an "Intelligence Pyramid Structure." The base consists of two fundamental capabilities: computation and memory. Above this is the perception layer, encompassing vision and hearing. Next is the cognitive layer, which includes understanding, insight, reasoning, planning, and decision-making. This is followed by the creativity layer, capable of achieving transformative scientific breakthroughs. At the very top of the pyramid is the wisdom layer, characterized by profound reflection and comprehensive judgment.
In his view, the emergence of large language models (LLMs) is reshaping the boundaries of this pyramid. Today, everyone can possess a 24/7 intelligent assistant, the most efficient decision-making reference tool in human history. It can deliver unlimited, multi-faceted suggestions, offering not only optimal solutions but also breaking the cognitive limitations imposed by fixed thinking patterns and energy constraints. Simultaneously, the Agent technology system provides LLMs with the "hands and feet" for execution and diverse tool support. From early prompt engineering and context engineering to the advanced stages of Agent engineering and recursive engineering, the entire technological path clearly demonstrates that AI is moving from passively receiving instructions and executing tasks to a stage of autonomous planning and self-operation.
Discussing "The New Human Edge in the AI Era," Dr. Hong encouraged everyone to become a "Builder" in the AI age, continuously building their core competencies: precise questioning skills, critical thinking, interdisciplinary perspectives, and communication abilities that rely on emotional intelligence (EQ) to earn trust, thereby developing into "T-shaped talents" with both deep expertise and broad cross-domain knowledge.
During a fireside chat, Dr. Hong and Liu Tieyan, Dean of the Beijing Zhongguancun College and Chairman of the Zhongguancun AI Research Institute, engaged in a deep discussion on the topic "How to Forge AI Leaders." Drawing on their respective research experiences, talent cultivation practices, and the development history of Microsoft Research Asia, they focused on the construction philosophy of the Zhongguancun colleges, the profile of AI leaders, and the future of human intelligence.