On August 29, the 2025 AI Competency Training Symposium Across Belt and Road Universities (2025 ACTS) commenced at the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS).

Framed by the theme “AI-Empowered Higher Education & Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue”, the symposium featured a keynote report by Professor Yang Bin, Vice Chairperson of Tsinghua University Council, while Professor OUYANG Zheng, Dean of Tsinghua SIGS, chaired the main forum and delivered the welcome address. Nearly 300 people, including university leaders, representatives of international organizations, business leaders and famous science fiction writers from the Belt and Road partner countries such as China, Malaysia, Thailand, Russia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, attended the meeting.

In his address, “Envisioning Global Higher Education in the Intelligence Era: Strategies and Reflections from Tsinghua”, Professor Yang urged universities to craft a future-fit paradigm and unveiled the “XAI” concept to recalibrate excellence for the next generation.

Professor OUYANG Zheng pointed out that the Belt & Road Initiative hinges on knowledge exchange and educational collaboration, and that universities must become proactive architects of AI governance, anchoring technology in human-centered values, collaborative innovation and inclusive excellence.

Representatives from several universities across the Belt & Road countries then showcased trail-blazing initiatives in AI education. Dr. Horst Simon, Director of ADIA Lab, outlined the vision for creating an intellectual hub for global collaboration. YBhg. Dato’ Prof. Ir. Dr. Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), examined the core topic of humanizing AI and technology. Associate Professor Manoj Lohatepanont, Vice-President and Chief AI Officer at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, introduced the topic of Navigating the AI Transformation in Higher Education. Evgeny Burnaev, Full Professor, Head of Skoltech AI Center, Russia, analyzed the significance of ChatGPT in higher education. Prof. Dr. Petrus Mursanto, Dean of Faculty of Computer Science, Universitas Indonesia, explained how AI can turbo-charge integrated university excellence.

The event also witnessed a flurry of partnership signings. Tsinghua SIGS signed MoUs with Universiti Putra Malaysia, BINUS University and Trust Asset Manager Pte. Ltd. respectively, pledging university-industry partnership, academic exchanges and collaborative research. Simultaneously, Tsinghua SIGS teamed up with Tencent, Midea, Mindray, China Coal, X Square Robot and Botsing in a strategic industry-education alliance to collaboratively nurture outstanding engineering talent and advance technological innovation.

In the afternoon, the sub-forum titled “AI, Education, and Humanity: Imagining Future Education Through Science Fiction” was chaired by Professor Fu Haohuan, Associate Dean of Tsinghua SIGS, and brought together experts from the fields of education, technology and literature.

Science-fiction writer Hao Jingfang stressed that AI-era schooling must centre on student creativity and individualized learning. Mr. He Shiming, Party Secretary of Shenzhen Foreign Languages School (Group), introduced a six-step framework for embedding AI across the curriculum. Mr. Pan Shoudong, Vice President of XuetangX, and Professor WANG Shiqi, Associate Dean (Internationalization and Industry), Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, presented on AI-enabled pedagogy and team-based learning models.

At the Cross-disciplinary Dialogue, Professor Fu Haohuan, Ms. Hao Jingfang, Professor Wang Zhizhong, Deputy Dean of College of Integrated Circuits and Optoelectronic Chips at Shenzhen Technology University, and Mr. He Shiming, delved into how AI can enhance every stage of education while seamlessly merging technology with the humanities.

During the Creative Workshop, Ms. Wang Li, Executive Principal of North Campus of Shenzhen Senior High School (Group), Mr. Yang Weizhong, Director of Innovation and Development Department at SZMS Nanshan Innovation School, and Mr. ZHANG Tao, Vice President for Education Sector at Sangfor Technologies, demonstrated cutting-edge AI applications in real classrooms.

The conference has forged a vital platform for AI education collaboration across Belt & Road nations. Moving forward, Tsinghua SIGS will continue to serve as a bridge, leveraging diverse partnerships to share resources, co-cultivate talent and co-deliver breakthroughs, thereby cultivating world-class AI professionals for Belt & Road countries and fueling regional innovation.