The literary world is grappling with fundamental questions about artificial intelligence's role in creative expression, a topic explored during a recent dialogue between award-winning writer Xuemo and British-Chinese children's literature author Zhang Huaicun in London. The discussion, moderated by journalist Xu Liang with translation by Dr. Yukteshwar Kuma, attracted nearly a hundred attendees including cultural diplomats and artists, highlighting widespread concern about how generative AI tools are reshaping writing.
Xuemo presented a nuanced perspective on AI's potential, stating that the technology itself isn't the primary threat but rather human intentions behind its use. "When guided by benevolence, AI can enrich the world; however, when driven by selfish desires, humanity risks self-destruction," he explained. This distinction between tool and user underscores literature's continued relevance as a moral compass during technological transformation.
Both authors agreed that while AI excels at efficiency and word assembly, it cannot replicate the human experiences that give literature its power. Zhang Huaicun, a lifelong fellow of the Royal Society of British Artists, emphasized that "AI cannot replicate genuine emotions" and that "machines can assemble words, but they cannot breathe life into them." This limitation points to literature's unique capacity for emotional resonance and spiritual guidance—qualities no algorithm can authentically produce.
The discussion turned to creative inspiration, with Xuemo offering a metaphor about breaking free from limitations: "We must break free from the confines of our little cup and merge with the vastness of the ocean-like world; then the words will flow by themselves." Zhang shared how childhood experiences with nature fuel her creativity, describing saving a bird as formative to her storytelling approach. These personal insights demonstrated how human consciousness and lived experience remain irreplaceable in literary creation.
Xuemo's musical performance of "Yangguan Sandie," adapted from a Tang Dynasty poem, provided a concrete example of how art forms combining music, literature, and authentic emotion surpass AI's capabilities in touching the human soul. The event reinforced literature's role in preserving core human values—truth, goodness, and beauty—that Xuemo's work Wild Fox Ridge exemplifies through what participants described as primordial wisdom essential in the AI era.
As industries worldwide adapt to AI integration, this dialogue suggests literature must reclaim its spiritual tradition to nourish human consciousness. The authors' consensus that technology requires corresponding spiritual growth indicates that while AI may change how literature is produced or distributed, the human elements of emotional depth, moral guidance, and lived experience remain literature's defining characteristics and primary value to society.
