Mao Yu Lynn Yuan Remarks Individuality in the AI Revolution at TEDx Talk

February 15, 2025 (Hong Kong, SAR, China) - TEDx HKU took place at the century-old main campus of the University of Hong Kong’s Rayson Huang Theatre, where Mao Yu Lynn Yuan delivered a thought-provoking talk on the value of individuality amid the artificial intelligence revolution. Titled Embrace Your Uniqueness: Individuality in the AI Revolution, MAO’s remarks centered on preserving humanity’s individuality amid rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.

“The uniqueness of our individuality, including creativity, empathy, and critical thinking, emerges as a new currency that differentiates us from artificial intelligence,” MAO stated in her address. She outlined AI’s evolution from Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), noting its deep integration into daily life. While acknowledging the technological conveniences AI brings, she highlighted pressing challenges including wealth gaps, human job displacement, and information cocoons which risk widening inequality in wealth and gender.

Drawing on her personal journey, MAO shared three pivotal moments of challenging societal norms: turning away from a family-preferred diplomatic career to pursue arts entrepreneurship, confronting gender biases faced by women in business; transitioning to a film director role, using AI-generated voiceover in her work to advocate for gender equality aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and founding an NGO in the innovation-sustainability sector, driving positive social change for people and the planet.

MAO emphasized that inherently human traits—creativity, empathy, and critical thinking—remain beyond AI’s current capabilities. “If the AI revolution intensifies a world of change, inequality, competition, and unemployment, what we can hold onto is our uniqueness as humans who can think, feel, love, experience, reflect, and create with personal emotions, something AI cannot do at present,” she stated. She called for an universal sustainable AI governance framework, urging regulation aligned with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles to ensure technology serves the economy, environment, and humanity’s shared values and long-term interests. She encouraged audiences to uphold their individuality and selfhood amid societal constraints and technological upheaval, and to take self-authorized ownership of their life journeys. The talk also explored AI-driven challenges such as information cocoons and shifting values, envisioning sustainable AI as a solution and calling on people to reshape societal values by embracing individual uniqueness.

The official TEDx video is scheduled to be released in the Fall/Winter 2025 season, and the complete English transcript will be subject to the version published by TED official channels.

About TED

Organized independently by the University of Hong Kong, TEDx HKU is part of the global TEDx initiative. TED, a nonprofit founded in 1984, operates under the mission “Ideas Worth Spreading” and spans over 170 countries and regions. Its talks feature leading figures across disciplines, with a cumulative global view count exceeding 10 billion.

Website: www.ted.com

About MAO Yu Lynn Yuan

A cross-disciplinary professional, MAO is an award-winning film director, advocate for gender equality under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), researcher in innovation and sustainability, and entrepreneur. Her debut film work has earned acclaim for its innovative use of AI voiceover technology, and she founded an NGO focused on driving positive change at the intersection of innovation and sustainability.

Website: www.maoyulynnyuan.com