When AlphaFold cracked the structures of 200 million proteins, when ChatGPT wrote novels rivaling great authors, when AI Agent Manus could break down tasks, write code, make decisions, and complete complex tasks like humans... At this moment, we are standing at the singularity of human civilization.
The AI era represented by Deepseek and Manus is roaring in, not only as a surge in technology but also as a philosophical inquiry into "what it means to be human."
Faced with the rapid changes brought about by technological development, many parents are beginning to worry—will our children be replaced by artificial intelligence in the future?
In response to this question, Professor Yang, a resident scholar at Huitong and a scholar from Stanford, shared his research findings in the field during the fourth session of the "Bay Area Youth Dialogue Scholar Forum" at Huitong.
Professor Yang and his team broke down specific job positions into different tasks based on actual job requirements and calculated the more precise probability of a certain profession being replaced by AI.
The large language models provided a straightforward answer: they found that jobs requiring interaction between people are least affected, while tasks like statistical attendance tracking and coding, which are more repetitive and rule-based, are more easily replaced by algorithms.
This also makes us more acutely aware that in the next wave of the era led by AI, students need to possess the ability to collaborate with others, critical thinking and innovation skills, and the ability to solve interdisciplinary problems—these are the moats guarding human value.
In the future, the "traditional top student" who only writes standard answers on exams will inevitably be eliminated. The mission of education is no longer to cultivate "standard parts" on an assembly line, but to shape "pathfinders" who can adapt to the complex challenges of the future.
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01
Dare to Imagine
Solid foundational disciplines and abilities remain crucial
At Huitong, we always uphold the core values of daring to imagine, cherishing potential, and building connections.
Daring to imagine does not mean letting children's imaginations run wild without structure; solid foundational disciplines and abilities remain crucial.
As NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang has said, foundational disciplines and abilities are indispensable. Subjects like mathematics, science, reasoning, logic, philosophy, and history lay a solid foundation for students' understanding, enabling them to interact effectively with artificial intelligence. When posing questions, students must have relevant background knowledge to know what to ask.
As the only school in the Bay Area offering a global history curriculum spanning from kindergarten to eighth grade, we are committed to cultivating students' solid foundations in literature, history, and philosophy. Through theme exhibitions curated by students in grades nine to twelve, showcasing works from the global history curriculum, we lead audiences through significant periods of human history.
In elementary school, we offer five science classes per week, elevating science education to the same importance as English and mathematics.
In sixth grade, a year ahead, science classes are divided into disciplines, including physics, biology, chemistry, and added history and geography courses. The annual "Scientists and Inventors Summit" encourages students to explore true knowledge, making scientific thinking each student's "secret weapon."
From passive "receivers" to active "explorers"
The ability to ask questions is undoubtedly a watershed in the AI era—actively exploring problems, continuously experimenting and reasoning in unknown fields is key to solving complex problems.
When ChatGPT can generate a thousand-word paper in 0.1 seconds, when AI drawing tools can accurately mimic Van Gogh's brushstrokes, the traditional "knowledge input" education model is facing fundamental challenges.
In exam questions, we often find a standard answer. However, in the real world, many times no one tells us what the "correct" answer is.
Therefore, we encourage students to care about people and things around them, think about how they can solve real-life problems—
·Because they want to know what they can do for the community? So, in Huitong's urban classroom, students design public seats for the elderly and children in the community that are both "practical" and "fun."
·Because they want to know if cyanobacteria can survive in space? So, we have established a "Mars Laboratory" at school for students to simulate the vacuum environment of space, conduct cyanobacteria experiments, and their research results have been published in international journals.
·Because they want to know the limits of AI? So, teachers encourage students to use AI to search for the average sunrise and sunset times for each month of the year, to understand the boundaries of AI and learn how to critically evaluate the "standard" answers provided by AI.
In the age of AI, we can obtain the information we need in 30 seconds. However, what is truly important is not the speed of getting answers but in the process of asking questions and seeking answers repeatedly, cultivating one's spirit of exploration and critical thinking ability to become active problem solvers—"explorers."
Cultivating Creativity and Imagination
Deepseek operates with vast data and complex algorithms but cannot replace what humans excel at—creativity.
Throughout history, many great figures have demonstrated extraordinary creativity. Beethoven composed a series of moving musical pieces through pain and challenges.
Picasso, by constantly challenging and subverting traditional art forms, created new styles like Cubism, inspiring generations of artists.
Whether in art, technology, or literature, creativity from zero to one stems from countless individuals eager for change and willing to experiment.
At Huitong, we advocate for nurturing students' creativity like exercising muscles. We believe that creativity is not an inborn ability but can be continuously strengthened through nurturing.
Therefore, we encourage students to draw inspiration from different practices, starting from their own experiences, repeatedly examining the feasibility of solutions, and continuously pushing boundaries.
Through participating in interdisciplinary project-based learning (PBL), fashion shows, project exhibitions, science fairs, and other activities, students can not only ignite their creative potential but also learn how to transform ideas into practical solutions.
02
Valuing Potential
The AI era signifies a shift from the "standardized industrial age" to the "non-standardized personalized age."
In traditional educational systems, judging students solely based on exam scores often overlooks individual differences among students. A report card with just numbers often fails to comprehensively reflect a student's true potential and overall developmental level.
The essence of personalized education lies in respecting each student's unique talents, recognizing that each student is an individual with different interests, abilities, and learning styles.
We provide personalized growth support based on students' individual needs. At Huitong, you can embark on a hardcore scientific research journey, exploring "Can cyanobacteria survive on Mars" like classmates Godric and Steven, or conducting research on "Low-dimensional system magnetic and thermal properties" with Jerry and Celestina. You can also become an artist, organizing fashion shows like classmate Aevine, or delving into documentary filmmaking in Nanshui Old Street like Archie. You can also delve into computer artificial intelligence like Peter, studying image recognition and game design.
At Huitong, you can become whoever you aspire to be. Whether a musician, athlete, mathematician, psychologist, or business leader, Huitong fully supports students in building their personal strengths and unique core competencies.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
Exam-oriented education that tests mechanical memory and simple data processing skills will inevitably be replaced by artificial intelligence. The "exam factory" model and "drilling for exams" strategies will no longer hold sway.
Future students will need to compete in utilizing creativity, rationality, emotional intelligence, empathy, and ethics to solve complex real-world problems.
These skills need to be cultivated through rich experiences and practical experiences in real social environments.
Our "City Classroom" project in the Beyond Core Curriculum builds a bridge between students' knowledge and real-world problems.
In a fifth-grade math class last semester, students learned how to analyze trends using averages and percentages.
Subsequently, students visited Nantou Ancient City. To collect relevant data on various shop activities, they interviewed local shop owners and tourists —
- How long have you been running your shop here?
- Could you tell us what your business is like on a typical day?
- What makes you happiest about doing business in Nantou Ancient City?
- If you could change one thing here, what would it be?
Ultimately, students organized and evaluated the collected data and information on how Nantou Ancient City's cultural and historical preservation can coexist with modern tourism and commercial economic needs.
This learning approach not only deepens students' understanding of theoretical knowledge through practical application but also encourages them to view the world from different perspectives and think critically.
The Value of Lifelong Learning Skills Continues to Rise
Do you also have the same feeling? What seemed impossible yesterday is now a reality today.
Today, artificial intelligence is influencing every aspect of daily life. These changes not only alter our way of life but also reshape our understanding of the world entirely.
At Huitong, we understand that "uncertainty" and "change" are the norms. In such an environment, cultivating students' resilience and lifelong learning abilities is crucial.
We encourage students to study hard, but this effort is based on genuine inspiration and intrinsic drive, rather than the pressure mechanisms of punishment adopted by many schools or even families.
We believe that only when students are passionate about learning can their potential truly be unleashed. Therefore, by organizing various activities such as speeches, exhibitions, debates, and field trips, we help students gain a sense of achievement in learning.
This sense of achievement does not stem from academic ease but is a way to demonstrate learning outcomes, enabling students to see the meaning of learning, gain confidence, and continually inspire lasting self-motivation.
We do not want children to become robots that tackle exams but hope they find human unique value—curiosity about the world, the pursuit of the meaning of life, and a composed attitude in the face of uncertainty.
03
Establishing Connections
Interdisciplinary Thinking
The development of artificial intelligence is bound to inspire numerous groundbreaking innovations, with many of these advancements being the result of interdisciplinary research.
The Huitong Global History Project is one of the best educational practices for cultivating interdisciplinary thinking skills. Its content involves not just the study of a single historical discipline but the organic integration of multiple disciplines such as mathematics, engineering, humanities, and arts within the context of various historical events.
The exploration topics of the students cover a wide range, from "Prehistoric Human Survival" in the first grade to "Explorers and Adventurers" in the second grade; "Glorious Ancient Empires" in the third grade; "Industrial Revolution" in the fourth grade; "World Wars" in the fifth grade; "International Relations" in the sixth grade; "Enlightenment Era" in the seventh grade; and "Globalization" in the eighth grade, among various historical themes.
We have learned a lot of historical knowledge, such as the language, lifestyle, diet, and road construction of the Inca Empire people in the early stages of South American civilization.
Then, we divided into groups to create maps and games, with routes circling the globe, and participating countries could occupy territories. We also used AI software to create maps and markers for our game.
- Third-grade student
We encourage students to integrate their learning through various means such as exploration, interviews, hands-on projects, writing, calculations, and design.
When students actively explore historical events, they not only develop interdisciplinary thinking skills but also gain the power to understand and shape the world around them.
Establishing a Connection Between School Learning and the Real World
Schools should not be seen as an "ivory tower." When children realize that some traditional learning methods may become obsolete in the future and currently popular industries may disappear entirely, feelings of anxiety are bound to intensify.
Grades 9 to 12 are crucial stages for students to choose majors and contemplate their future career paths. Are the majors chosen by students really the careers they want to pursue in the future? What are the actual employment needs of businesses? How can one keep up with the latest trends in these industries?
With these questions in mind, students visited the Dachan Bay Industrial Digitalization Promotion Center and engaged in discussions with professional technical engineers, aiming to gain a real understanding of the operations of manufacturing and high-tech companies such as automotive, printing, optical technology, and integrated circuit board production.
We invited biologists from BGI and professors from the University of Hong Kong's School of Architecture to share their professional experiences with students. We also led students who love art to independent art spaces to explore the thinking patterns of different industries.
We aim to help children build connections with the real world so that they can find the directions that truly interest them on their journey of exploring the world.
Beyond "Efficiency First," Reshaping "Emotional Value"
In an era of rapid iteration, AI brings us "efficiency first" but cannot replace the unique emotional value and human warmth of humans.
Fortunately, we have found that the most rewarding learning experiences for students often stem from their genuine care for those around them—
First-grade students went to the Overseas Chinese Town Wetland Park for birdwatching activities, paid attention to the decaying wood in the area, and reflected on wetland conservation efforts in Shenzhen, ultimately writing observation reports.
Sixth-grade students, during their exploration of the Overseas Chinese Town Ecological Park, noticed the large-scale urban renewal in the Dashah River area and interviewed people in the area to understand the "impact of urban renewal on residents' mentality."
In the CTB Global Youth Research and Innovation Forum competition, students actively explored topics rich in humanistic care, such as "Designing assistive devices for flexible employment in the ride-hailing industry for the hearing-impaired" and "The subjective impact of animal-assisted therapy on the mental health of individuals with anxiety and stress."
Perhaps this is the essence of education in the AI era: not racing against machines but delving deep into the flickering, flawed human light that brings tears to our eyes, trembles, and is full of flaws.
Because it is these rays of light that, at some point in the future, will become the ultimate boundary between civilization and algorithms.
Finally, in answering the question "What kind of students should we cultivate in the era of artificial intelligence represented by Deepseek and Manus?"
Deepseek says: The ultimate mission of education is to cultivate "awakened explorers" - those who can ride the waves of technology while safeguarding human warmth; those who thirst to push boundaries while understanding the ethical boundaries for innovation. Such students will become the "helmsmen" of future civilization evolution rather than mere "passengers."
How would you answer this question?
