From Sci-Fi to Reality: Chen Qiufan's Moscow Vision for Ethical, Human-Centered AI

From Fiction to Workflow: What Chen Qiufan's Moscow Talk Means for Working Writers

At the January Expert Dialogues in Moscow, Chinese sci-fi writer and futurist Chen Qiufan argued a simple point with big implications for writers: in the race to build AI, those who offer humanity ethical, meaningful, and inspiring scenarios will lead.

His message wasn't academic. It was practical. Treat science fiction as a cognitive tool-one that stress-tests ideas, reduces bias, and expands what you think is possible on the page and in your career.

Science fiction is a method, not just a genre

Chen's stance: pair data with narrative imagination. Reports and charts map what is; stories help us see what could be. For writers, that's a daily practice, not a theme.

• Run "scenario sprints": draft three future versions of the same brief-optimistic, cautious, and weird. Compare outcomes and tone.
• Build a "cognitive hedge": for each assumption in your draft, write one alternative that could also be true.
• Prototype with short vignettes before committing to long pieces. Fast iteration beats perfect plans.

The prediction paradox: get humans right

Chen highlighted a familiar trap: we're bad at guessing exact technologies, but we're good at reading human nature. Ethics, fears, incentives, identity-these drive adoption and behavior.

• Write character sheets that include beliefs, taboos, and trade-offs under pressure. Then test them in a future setting.
• Make the conflict moral, not mechanical. The gadget is a plot device; the choice is the story.
• Audit your draft for clichés about "AI good" vs. "AI bad." Replace them with specific human stakes.

Anthropomorphism: don't give machines feelings they don't have

Chen referenced an ancient Chinese tale: an emperor orders a lifelike automaton dismantled after it flirts with his concubine, only to find wood and gears inside. The point stands today-people project.

• Write AI systems through observable behavior and outputs, not fake emotions.
• If a model seems "sympathetic," show the data that produced that effect. Mystery is fine; misleading is not.
• When in doubt, separate interface from intent. Interfaces feel human; systems optimize objectives.

For background on this bias, see a concise overview of anthropomorphism at Encyclopaedia Britannica.

We're low on imagination-refill it with constraints

Chen called out a wider crisis: geopolitics, economy, climate, tech-and a shortage of imagination. Writers feel this in blank pages and timid drafts.

• Set a weekly "future brief": 600 words, one clear constraint (e.g., no adjectives, or dialog only), one audacious premise.
• Cross-pollinate: pair a scientific paper with a personal essay. Force a synthesis in two pages.
• Rotate lenses: write the same scene from a policymaker, an engineer, and a patient.

Coexisting with AI: a practical workflow for writers

Chen believes humans and machines can coexist-and that outcome depends on us. If models learn from human data, better inputs mean better outputs.

• Create a mini "style corpus" from your best work. Use it to steer AI drafts closer to your voice.
• Maintain a living prompt library with examples, counter-examples, and edge cases you frequently face.
• Red-team your own drafts: ask the model to find bias, weak claims, and lazy verbs. You make the final call.
• Write and publish a short ethics note on your AI use (disclosure, data sources, review steps). Trust is part of the craft.

Why this matters now

Chen co-authored AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future, a project that pairs fiction with analysis. The Moscow lecture echoed the same formula: story as a lab, ethics as the constraint, outcomes as the measure.

For working writers, this isn't abstract. It's a way to produce original ideas on deadline and keep your voice intact while using new tools.

Event context

The January Expert Dialogues were hosted by the National Centre RUSSIA with the Centre for Cross-Industry Expertise "The Third Rome," supported by the Russian Presidential Executive Office. The keynote speaker was Maksim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Executive Office.

Next steps for writers

• Adopt the "three-futures" draft habit for your next commission.
• Publish a one-page AI ethics note on your site or portfolio.
• Build a 20-piece style corpus and use it to steer any AI assistance you employ.

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