-- In the spring vigor of March in Beijing, a dialogue spanning disciplines and civilizations quietly took place in an office in Fengtai District. Nobel laureate Michael Levitt made a special visit to the Beijing office of Hu Jiaqi, Director-General of the Humanitas Ark. This scientist, who uses computation to simulate life, joined the founder of the Humanitas Ark at the crossroads of humanity’s fate to explore the boundaries of technology and the essence of well-being.
I. Scientific Giant: Decoding Life with Computation
As the 2013 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Michael Levitt is a founding figure in computational biology and computational chemistry. He is a tenured professor of structural biology at Stanford University in the United States, and holds numerous academic honors including membership in the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and the Royal Society (UK), enjoying global academic prestige.
Levitt’s most outstanding contribution is the creation and development of multiscale modeling methods. His multiscale approach allows scientists to use accurate quantum mechanical calculations for critical regions while employing efficient classical mechanics methods for other parts when simulating complex biological molecules. This innovative thinking broke through the barrier that had made it seemingly impossible to achieve both computational scale and accuracy, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2013.
Today, software developed based on Levitt’s groundbreaking ideas has become a standard tool in global drug design, materials science, and biotechnology research. It is estimated that over 10,000 research laboratories worldwide use these tools daily to explore scientific questions ranging from disease mechanisms to new energy materials.
II. Reason for the Visit: Seeking a Humanistic Anchor for Science and Technology
Why would a Nobel laureate make a special trip to an international organization dedicated to “saving humanity from technological extinction”? In fact, Levitt’s visit to the Humanitas Ark was no accident.
Though over eighty years old, this scientist remains intellectually vibrant. As a researcher who has long used computational tools to explore the nature of life, Levitt has always placed technological ethics and human well-being at the center of his thinking. In recent years, he has repeatedly emphasized on various occasions: “Technological innovation is not simply about pursuing breakthroughs; it also requires deeper ethical considerations and international cooperation to ensure the safety and controllability of technology applications.” He admits to using AI daily, but also clearly notes that AI systems are essentially tools based on existing data and do not truly “understand” their inner mechanisms.
In recent years, he has increasingly voiced deep reflections on the relationship between technological development and the future of humanity. Through decades of scientific practice, Levitt has witnessed the tremendous leaps that technology has brought to human health, efficiency, and quality of life, while also clearly recognizing the dual-edged nature of technology.
The Humanitas Ark is dedicated to the mission of “achieving the perpetual survival and universal well-being of humanity.” Its founder, Mr. Hu Jiaqi, has spent over forty years deeply engaged in research on technological crises and the future of humanity, making him one of the most dedicated promoters in this field, an early pioneer of research, and a comprehensive architect of theory in this domain. He has written twelve open letters to global leaders, sending over one million letters in total.
His academic framework focuses on the core proposition that “the continued development of science and technology will soon lead to the extinction of humanity,” and proposes “perpetual survival and universal well-being” as the ultimate goal of human civilization. This perspective closely aligns with Levitt’s recent cautious stance on the boundaries of technology. While Levitt does not advocate “stopping technology,” he similarly emphasizes that technology must serve human well-being, rather than becoming an end in itself.
III. Clash of Ideas: Seeking Common Ground While Preserving Differences, Discussing the Future Together
During several hours of exchange, Levitt and Hu Jiaqi held in-depth discussions on core issues such as the cut-off point for technological development and human well-being.
Hu Jiaqi argues that humanity does not need unlimited technological breakthroughs; merely disseminating existing mature and safe technologies globally would be sufficient to achieve universal prosperity and well-being. Levitt spoke highly of this perspective, considering it to possess both the rationality of a scientist and the depth of a philosopher.
Indeed, Levitt similarly advocates treating technology as a tool serving human well-being rather than an end in itself. In his four-intelligence framework, he places personal intelligence alongside biological intelligence, cultural intelligence, and artificial intelligence, emphasizing the importance of physical and mental health and self-management in the digital age.
The two reached a high degree of consensus on the proposition that “the ultimate value of technology should be directed toward human well-being.”
The differences between them lie mainly in methodology and emphasis. As a scientist, Levitt tends to address problems arising from technological development through technological innovation and method improvement. When discussing the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence, he focuses more on how to reduce risks through better algorithm design, more transparent models, and more rigorous verification.
Hu Jiaqi, on the other hand, approaches the issue from the perspective of governance and institutions, emphasizing the need to establish a global framework for technology governance and international norms.
IV. Historical Significance: The Confluence of Science and Humanities
Professor Levitt’s visit provides a valuable window for observing global discussions on technology governance and the future of humanity. This is not merely a private conversation between a Nobel laureate and a thinker; it symbolizes a profound convergence within the scientific community on the epochal issue of “technology and the future of humanity.”
It achieves a cross-disciplinary integration of natural sciences and research on the future of humanity, breaking down disciplinary barriers, allowing rigorous scientific exploration and humanistic reflections on human survival to nourish and complement each other, offering a new model for interdisciplinary research paradigms.
A Nobel Prize-winning founding father of computational biology took the initiative to engage with an international organization with 14 million members and supporters dedicated to raising global awareness of technological safety. This spirit of exploration, which transcends disciplinary boundaries, is itself a vivid answer to the ultimate question of “how technology should serve humanity,” demonstrating humanity’s shared pursuit, amid the tidal wave of technological advancement, of upholding reason and safeguarding well-being.
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