China News Service, Beijing, November 9th. The 18th New Oriental Family Education Forum was held in Beijing on the 7th. The forum was themed "Beyond the Growth of Algorithms—The Reshaping and Return of Family Education in the AI Era" and based on the perspective of collaborative education between home, school and society, participating experts discussed the opportunities, risks and practical paths of family education under the wave of artificial intelligence.
The 18th New Oriental Family Education Forum was held in Beijing on the 7th. (Photo courtesy of the organizer)
At present, artificial intelligence has fully penetrated into the learning, social interaction and daily life of young people. While broadening cognitive boundaries and improving learning efficiency, new problems such as digital addiction, cognitive inertia, psychological anxiety, and physical and mental imbalance have emerged, and the traditional family education model is facing a new test.
The forum proposed two core directions: "Reshape", which means promoting families and educators to update their understanding and make good use of AI technology to empower children's growth; "Return", which means adhering to the original intention of educating people and paying attention to children's physical and mental health, personality development and real emotional experience.
Yang Shuwen, executive vice president and secretary-general of the Chinese Family Education Society, pointed out that with the in-depth implementation of the "Family Education Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China", family education has risen from a "small family matter" to a "national event." Although AI computing power continues to increase iteratively, human mental strength, empathy, creativity, judgment of right and wrong, and real interpersonal connections are still core capabilities that are difficult to replace by machines. As the emotional harbor and personality building position of minors, the value of family is irreplaceable.
Wu Yanhui, professor of economics at the University of Hong Kong, said that over-reliance on AI tools will lead to problems such as cognitive laziness and false effort. Clarifying the boundary between intelligent tool assistance and independent thinking will provide practical reference for parents to use AI tools scientifically.
Chen Zhiyan, a professor at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and head of the National Mental Health Assessment and Development Center, emphasized that mental health is an important cornerstone of adolescent growth. While technological iterations are accelerating, children's psychological growth will not accelerate at the same time. While family education uses AI to improve efficiency, it also needs to pay attention to children's emotional state and real interpersonal connections.
Zheng Quanshui, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that what is needed in the AI era is not question-answering learners. Family education should protect children’s curiosity and desire to explore, and focus on cultivating children’s independent thinking, innovative abilities and comprehensive qualities.
Yu Minhong, founder of New Oriental and chairman of New Oriental Education Technology Group, believes that family education must first return to a sense of normalcy. It is enough for children to be safe, healthy and happy, and to master a skill that can make a living.
The forum includes summit dialogues, keynote reports, philosophy roundtables, and final sharing sessions, focusing on topics such as talent training, AI learning risks, and psychological construction. The forum emphasized that AI can change the form of education and improve learning efficiency, but it cannot replace personality nourishment and spiritual companionship; family education should use technology as a tool, humanities as its root, and companionship as its foundation. (over)
