NCKU Hosts AI Forum, Advocating the Co-Development of Critical Reflection to Lead the New Wave of AI in Higher Education-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

On the 25th, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) held the “The Role and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education – Teaching Session” at Macronix Hall, bringing together faculty, students, and experts to engage in in-depth discussions on AI development trends, teaching applications, and potential risks. This session marked the first event in NCKU’s AI Forum series and was built around three core themes: “Learning about AI,” “Using AI,” and “Learning with AI,” comprehensively exploring the responsibilities and responses of higher education in the era of AI.

NCKU President Prof. Meng-Ru Shen attended and delivered the opening remarks, sharing his personal experiences using AI as a basis for his observations on artificial intelligence. He noted that AI has profoundly transformed people’s work and thinking patterns across administrative management, research analysis, and daily applications, becoming an unavoidable part of modern life. He emphasized that while it is important to embrace technological innovation with an open mind, it is equally essential to carefully examine and reflect on the impacts and challenges brought by AI. “We should not only use AI, but also understand AI, examine AI, and grow together with AI,” President Shen stated. This also reflects the core spirit of the forum — AI education is not a one-way introduction of tools but a continuous learning process requiring collective participation and dialogue between teachers and students.

The core vision of this forum is “AI Leading Education, Teaching in Shared Prosperity.” The three themes build progressively from theoretical foundations to practical applications. “Learning about AI” focuses on establishing fundamental understanding of AI principles and development contexts while addressing potential risks and ethical issues. “Using AI” emphasizes how to properly and effectively integrate AI tools into academic research to improve efficiency while maintaining research quality and rigor. “Learning with AI” further explores how to organically integrate AI into teaching practices, cultivate students’ ability to collaborate with AI, and guide students to develop proper technological ethics, becoming active participants rather than passive recipients in learning processes.

Since its first launch in 2023, the NCKU AI Forum has attracted enthusiastic participation from both internal and external communities. The discussion themes have evolved from initial guidance on adaptation and tools to deeper exploration of cross-disciplinary applications, providing practical value to many participants. Continuing this momentum, this year’s forum is jointly organized by the Office of Academic Affairs, the Miin-Huey Intelligent Computing School, the Office of Research and Development, and the Center for Academia-Industry Collaboration and Innovation, further expanding AI application exploration.

Following this session on “Teaching — AI Leading Education, Teaching in Shared Prosperity,” the Miin-Huey Intelligent Computing School plans to host “Cross-disciplinary Integration, Practice and Innovation” on March 31. The Office of Research and Development will focus on “Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing” in May, while the Center for Academia-Industry Collaboration and Innovation will conclude the series in October with “Industry–Academia Collaboration and Startup Value Creation.”

Facing the rapid development of AI, NCKU continues to respond with a balanced approach of rational evaluation and open innovation. Through this series of forums, the university aims to guide faculty and students to maintain professional grounding amid rapid technological change, ensuring that technology becomes a positive force driving educational progress and social development.