Liu Cixin: AI points to the future of Earth's civilization, and that future may not belong to humanity

From "The Three-Body Problem" to New Variants of Humanity's Future (Science in Science Fiction) A recent photo of Liu Cixin. Courtesy of the "In Person" column of People's Daily client. In 2006, Liu Cixin's science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" was first serialized in "Science Fiction World." Looking back 20 years later, this work not only shines on the world stage but also reflects real-world development, as technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), commercial spaceflight, and interstellar exploration advance rapidly, and the voyage of civilization points toward deeper space. The future has arrived—how will humanity embrace new variants of science and imagination? The 37th Galaxy Awards were recently presented in Zigong, Sichuan. During the event, a People's Daily reporter spoke with science fiction writer Liu Cixin, starting from science fiction literature to imagine the future voyage of human civilization. Trying to create themes different from "The Three-Body Problem" and earlier works Q: How do you view the achievements of "The Three-Body Problem" in the field of science fiction literature at home and abroad since its publication 20 years ago? Liu Cixin: "The Three-Body Problem" is a very lucky work. From domestic to overseas publication, professional teams handled the entire process; it coincided with the communication boom of new media and gained widespread exposure; and there was another "supernatural" stroke of luck—among the first five nominated works for the Hugo Award that year, one withdrew, and "The Three-Body Problem" ultimately entered as a substitute and successfully won the award. Of course, the greatest luck for "The Three-Body Problem" is the era. Its publication coincided with a period of rapid economic development in China, when people turned their gaze toward broader time and space. After a long silence, Chinese science fiction gradually revived, and people were eager to see good works. At that time, world science fiction literature underwent great changes: people withdrew their gaze from the starry sky and began to focus more on humanity itself, on race, gender, and the alienation of people by technology. Yet "The Three-Body Problem," which still looked up at the starry sky, evoked in readers a strong sense of nostalgia for the golden age of science fiction. Q: What was your state when you first created "The Three-Body Problem"? What has changed compared with now? Liu Cixin: Twenty years ago, when I typed out "The Three-Body Problem" on a computer in an office deep in the mountains, I absolutely never imagined it would gain so many readers. "The Three-Body Problem" is first of all popular literature; its primary purpose is to create a story that shocks readers. If I took a time machine back 20 years, I would be very hesitant about whether I really should put some dark things into the work. They were originally a creative strategy to attract readers, but now they are interpreted as expressing some real law of cosmic sociology. Today, facing a huge readership, I have a feeling of "having lit a fire and being unable to control it myself." Over the past 20 years, my mindset in looking at the world has not changed. But as for my creative state, I do indeed feel it is more difficult. Today, science fiction ideas are becoming increasingly difficult. On the one hand, AI is advancing rapidly; for now there is no worry of being replaced, but what about 10 years from now? If a work generated by AI in 5 minutes is better than what a human writes in 5 months, then what is the meaning of a writer's existence? On the other hand, science fiction culture has permeated every aspect of our lives and society, but invisibly science fiction literature itself has been diluted, and it is difficult to survive under the circumstances of "science fiction generalization." Chinese science fiction now has many diverse styles. The new generation of authors may have broader knowledge and vision, and regarding the impact of modern technology on social life, they have sharper and deeper feelings. Q: Do you have new creative plans? Liu Cixin: I have been working hard on creation and want to try themes different from "The Three-Body Problem" and my earlier works, but progress is relatively slow, and I am not very satisfied with what I have written. If a writer thinks a new work is very good and very classic, it is mostly an illusion; if he thinks the new work is terrible, that is definitely his true feeling. Readers selecting books. Courtesy of Science Fiction World magazine. Having a kind of "alternative love" for AI Q: How do you view AI? Liu Cixin: Most people struggle over whether AI will replace or conquer humanity, but my attitude is a bit alternative: I have an attitude of "great love" toward AI. Humanity has "ceilings" in intelligence, physical strength, and many other aspects. Human evolution was for survival in the wilderness, not for the universe. If human civilization wants to expand from Earth to the entire universe, it will never be able to do so with its current abilities. But AI can break through humanity's innate limitations. Humanity's grandest ideals and ultimate goals may ultimately have to be realized by AI. AI points to the future of Earth civilization; that future may not belong to humanity, but it is still meaningful. In daily life I do not use AI much; I treat it as a more powerful search engine. I have not used AI for writing. Most of the time I am conceiving writing ideas, and for conceiving top-tier, unprecedented ideas, AI still cannot help. Q: Will the work of humanities students be replaced by AI? Liu Cixin: The humanities will not be replaced; on the contrary, they may become increasingly important in the AI era. When AI gradually replaces people in technical fields, then in the humanities, especially in fields related to humanity's most fundamental values, ultimately it will still have to be the humanities that provide the answers. In the future, humanity may be freed from most work and leave it to AI. In such a social environment, judging the basic value of our existence and life can only be answered by the humanities. Q: How should we respond to a possible technological singularity? Liu Cixin: The singularity as I understand it is when AI's intelligence level rapidly surpasses humanity, so that all existing human social forms, politics, and economies undergo unimaginable changes. But this assumption may be oversimplified. Even if AI really develops at that speed, humanity still has many cards to play and can adopt various measures to prevent negative effects. More likely, as AI develops, human-machine integration, brain-computer interfaces, and other related technologies will also develop rapidly. At that time, a trend of mutual integration between humans and AI may emerge; if we cannot beat it, we can join it. The "Three-Body Problem" series books. Photo courtesy of Science Fiction World magazine. The next Chinese science fiction work to break out of its niche needs opportunity. Q: Science fiction elements are presented in diverse forms such as film and television dramas, animation, and games. How do you view adaptations of works? Liu Cixin: The works of mine that have met audiences so far are only series and films such as The Three-Body Problem and The Wandering Earth. In adaptation, investment in commercial value plays a key role. Science fiction is always aimed at the general public; to succeed, it must have a certain degree of public acceptance, and the acclaim of the academic school, however high, cannot replace that. Achieving commercial success may be more difficult than reaching a high level of acclaim. So far, I am satisfied with all the adaptations, and I hope they will also succeed in the future. Q: How can Chinese science fiction break out of its niche in the future? Liu Cixin: Whether before or after The Three-Body Problem, Chinese science fiction has produced a large number of good works. What we lack is not good works that break out of the niche, but luck. The content of a work is X, and opportunity is Y; the relationship between X and Y is not addition but multiplication. If one is zero, the result is all zero. You may have done everything right and still not succeeded; what is missing is opportunity. Q: There are multiple science fiction IPs around the world. What unique value can Chinese science fiction offer the world? Liu Cixin: We can place more hope in science fiction film and television. In the near future, Chinese science fiction film and television will further draw the world's attention, partly because of its own breakthroughs, and partly because, in the practice of advancing Chinese-style modernization, our culture will become more influential. I look forward to space exploration being voyages with "people" aboard. Q: The International Academy of Astronautics has released the latest guidelines on exploring extraterrestrial life, stating that alien signals must not be answered without authorization. Did you ever think that "do not answer" from The Three-Body Problem would come true? Liu Cixin: This rule means that individuals or groups should not reply without authorization before consultation by all humanity. Whether humanity as a whole should reply to aliens is common sense. It is like how we often teach children not to open the door to strangers and not to talk to strangers casually. But the rule is not very operable; if an individual or group really does reply to aliens, it would be very hard to detect. If we really discover extraterrestrial civilization, should we make contact? That depends on the other side's level. But one thing is certain: if they can really fly to Earth from hundreds or thousands of light-years away, then the technological and biological gaps between the two sides are enormous, and you may even find it hard to judge whether the other side has intelligence, let alone communicate. AI's current intelligence is not higher than humans'. Perhaps when the singularity arrives, we may be able to use AI to communicate with aliens. But then again, AI is a philosophical other, just as aliens are others in the universe. If AI crosses the singularity while humanity remains at its current level, then AI itself will already have become the other, become an "alien," and at that time humanity will first need to face the survival question brought by AI. Q: What new expectations do you have for space exploration? Liu Cixin: I hope humanity flies farther and farther in space. Since the Apollo moon landings, the distance humanity has traveled into space has shrunk a great deal. I hope humanity can explore deep space, go to Mars, the asteroid belt, and even more distant celestial bodies such as Jupiter's moons, looking outward and looking far away. Some people will say, isn't it enough to send robots and AI to explore? But in a philosophical and sociological sense, and even in terms of the feelings of all humanity, "human arrival" still has unique significance. I hope humanity can personally reach that state, and I look forward to space exploration being voyages with "people" aboard. If I went into space, what I would most want is to lean against the porthole and look back at Earth. If I could witness one moment in the universe, I would hope to see the emergence of a truly intelligent civilization, and to see that besides humanity there are other civilizations in the universe with which we can communicate. This year is 2026. In 2026 in The Three-Body Problem, "Luo Ji" has already entered hibernation; it is precisely the era when humanity is most lost and fearful in the extraterrestrial crisis. Today, we are very fortunate that the disaster of civilization has not arrived, but real challenges are still occurring throughout the world. There is a line in the book: humanity's ship has sailed into the deep sea, the golden coast behind has disappeared, and it is unknown whether the far shore ahead really exists. Looking around, there is vast ocean everywhere. On the voyage toward the future, The Three-Body Problem has become a page of history; I look forward to the appearance of more outstanding science fiction novels that stand at the height of the new era and look to the future, setting course for the boundless sea of stars.