Tourists visit Nishan Sacredland scenic spot in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province, May 21, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

JINAN -- In the birthplace of Confucius, who has been revered as a symbol of China's traditional culture, visitors are now greeted not by ancient scrolls or silent statues, but by an AI-powered guide.

Under the glow of digital light and amid the echo of classical music, tourists from around the world follow this soft-spoken robot through Luyuan Village in Shandong Province, and set off on a 2,500-year journey into Confucian philosophy.

Here, holograms flicker across temple walls, real-life actors blend with virtual scenes, and centuries-old teachings unfold through immersive garden trails. It's a jarring yet mesmerizing collision of past and future, where ritual meets algorithm, and ancient wisdom is reimagined through the lens of artificial intelligence.

Just a 10-minute drive away, at another tourist site known as Nishan Sacredland, a different kind of gathering is underway.

More than 560 guests from over 70 countries have convened at an ambitious forum on world civilizations, exploring questions from whether Confucius would embrace AI if he lived today, to how humanity can preserve creativity in an era of globalized artificial intelligence.

Guests attend the 11th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province, July 9, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Among those weighing in was Wang Junlin, a professor and director of the Confucius Institute of Culture at Qufu Normal University.

"I believe Confucius would embrace and make use of AI, but only under the guidance of the Dao," Wang said, referring to the ancient Chinese concept of moral order and cosmic principle. Technology, in his view, should serve humanity, not the other way around.

Some at the forum voiced concerns that as AI moves deeper into the fabric of daily life and work, it risks giving rise to a new form of technological hegemony. "If AI focuses solely on rapid iteration without proper ethical direction, it could easily stray from our original intentions," said Wen Haiming, a professor of philosophy at Renmin University of China.

In search of answers, scholars pointed to Chinese philosophy, and Confucianism in particular, as a possible guide.

Kanaev Ilya, a visiting scholar from Russia at the Advanced Institute for Confucius Studies at Shandong University, argued that the Confucian idea of "harmony without uniformity" provides a crucial framework for the development of AI.

He called for the creation of collective synchronization mechanisms that preserve cultural diversity while helping to establish clear ethical guidelines for AI.

"As emerging technologies evolve, establishing prudent assessment systems and robust regulatory frameworks is essential," said Kanaev Ilya.

His views were shared by others at the forum, who urged lawmakers to define clear boundaries for AI use and to draw ethical red lines through thoughtful institutional design.

Participants also explored one of the most closely watched questions surrounding AI: whether its rapid rise could ultimately stifle human creativity.

Steve Fuller, a professor of sociology at the University of Warwick, offered a more nuanced perspective. "AI does not rob humanity of its creativity but teaches us the nature of human creativity," he said.

According to Fuller, AI is recombining the products of human intelligence in previously unimagined ways, generating novel forms of expression that surprise people because they tap into creative patterns that humans have yet to fully explore.