Shanghai, China Sep 26, 2025 – With AI’s expanding capabilities and reach, it has become a powerful societal force, influencing how we live, work, and govern. Beyond merely a technological advancement, the emergence of AI presents both opportunities and challenges, necessitating robust governance frameworks that guarantee safety, fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethical application. In addition to regulation, AI innovation thrives on collective knowledge, shared data, and open collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Therefore, AI development and deployment must prioritize responsibility, inclusion, and long-term societal impact, contributing to sustainable development and the creation of resilient societies. This urgent need calls for global platforms and mechanisms that foster trust and align incentives across governments, industries, academia, and the broader community.
Responding to this context, Fudan University (FDU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) are co-hosting the “2025 FDU-SMU Forum on AI, Digital Governance and Sustainable Societies” on September 29, 2025, at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. This event will serve as an interdisciplinary, cross-border dialogue examining the nexus of AI, digital governance, and sustainable development. Through keynote addresses and panel discussions, the Forum will convene leading academics and practitioners to explore cutting-edge applications of AI for digital inclusion, aging populations, computational social science, and technology-driven business innovation that bolsters resilience in the AI era. Both universities aim to use the Forum to generate insights for impactful research collaborations, strengthen regional and sectoral cooperation, and forge paths toward a more inclusive digital future.
The Forum will commence with opening remarks from Professor CHEN Zhimin, Vice President of FDU, and Professor Lily KONG, President of SMU. Following these addresses, four distinguished keynote presentations will provide varied perspectives on the Forum’s core themes. Professor FU Xiaoming, an IEEE Fellow and Member of Academia Europaea, and Chair Professor of Computer Science at the Institute of Computer Science, University of Goettingen, will present “Social Mobility in Ancient Empires and the Digital Age” from a historical viewpoint. Associate Professor ZHU Feida, Associate Dean of SMU’s School of Computing and Information Systems and Aptos Move Chair Professor, will delve into innovative approaches for “Collaborative Intelligence & Tokenised Economy for Sustainable Digital Future.” Associate Professor Gilad ABIRI from Peking University’s School of Transnational Law will discuss the legal framework for “Regulating for AI Legitimacy,” while Professor LI Qiang from FDU’s Institute on Ageing will offer an in-depth analysis of “China’s Ageing Population and Digital-Intelligent Elderly Care,” drawing on current practices in China.
The latter half of the Forum will focus on fostering cross-sector dialogue through two dynamic panel discussions. The first, “AI x Governance: Co-Evolution, Tensions, and Synergies for Social Good,” will analyze the complex relationship between AI’s technological trajectory and our societal governance systems. The second panel, “Why AI-Ready Leadership Matters: Rethinking Business, Talent, and Value Creation,” will then shift focus from governance to industry. This session will gather economists, computer scientists, and renowned entrepreneurs to jointly explore significant shifts in business paradigms and the essential redefinition of leadership driven by technological innovation.
The Forum will conclude with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between Professor JIN Li, President of FDU, and Professor Lily KONG, President of SMU, aimed at elevating their long-standing relationship to a strategic level. A pioneering interdisciplinary joint research program on Digital Technology and Society will form the cornerstone of this strategic partnership. This program will be jointly anchored by a virtual global research hub hosted by SMU and a physical laboratory situated on FDU’s campus. This initiative seeks to integrate research, education, and community engagement across regions to develop knowledge and solutions for pressing societal challenges at the intersections of AI, digital governance, and urban sustainability.
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Singapore Management University (SMU)
Source :Singapore Management University (SMU)