I only thought of writing this down this year, but 2020 and 2021 were two years of major change in my life, so I will include them as well. I know that I will do some important and challenging things in the future. That makes it necessary, I think, to record my thoughts before turning twenty, so I can look back later and check whether I have stayed true to my original intentions.

On My Ideals

I am not entirely sure how my ideals took shape. I only know that there are things I need to do, regardless of what I gain or lose. Artificial intelligence strikes me as something very cool, and perhaps it is the thing that interests me most so far. Gradually, everything has been pushing me toward doing something in this area:

  • Start an artificial-intelligence technology company.
  • Do it not for capital, but to provide a platform for like-minded people.
  • Light the way for human civilization's exploration.

I have broken this into three statements because each one is difficult to accomplish. Still, someone ought to be able to achieve all three. Even if I am not that person, I hope to be part of the denominator of people who try.

Starting an Artificial-Intelligence Company

(Some preliminary thoughts from a twenty-year-old young man)

Artificial intelligence will be revolutionary.

Forgive my limited imagination: the greatest change I can imagine AI bringing is to the structure of society. The development of AI, at least in its early stages, will inevitably transform labor. The work that the vast majority of people do today can be replaced by early-stage AI. This will also surely be the greatest obstacle as AI moves toward that envisioned initial stage. Here is how I see it:

If human civilization were to remain stagnant forever, I think it would lose its luster. I cannot imagine a society giving up progress merely to preserve the stability of its social structure. Society may need time to adapt to the changes brought by AI, but eventually it will cross that threshold. As for how people who lose their jobs will find meaning in their lives, the factors involved are too complex for me to predict.

Today, I respect the vast majority of people. Whether driven by the need to make a living or by their ideals, they work hard as the wheels that keep society running. Someone has to do each of these jobs, and no job is inherently high or low: anyone who does their own work well deserves respect. But if we set aside human concern and judge a person only by their contribution to society, how will those who cannot find a place for themselves earn society's respect? This is a major problem. I think the world's smartest politicians should work out how to solve it; I should concentrate on doing my own job. Some politicians may not think they have a decisive influence on the direction of human development, but they certainly know a thing or two about maintaining social stability.

This road will be difficult, but we can—or rather, should—make it through.

How Can AI Technology Make Money?

Although, as I said above, my goal is not to build a company oriented toward capital, I find it hard to imagine how a company that cannot survive over the long term could provide sustained help to the world. Consider Motorola and its Iridium project: it was indeed technology ahead of its time, yet it directly or indirectly led to its demise.

In reality, AI is still far from the point of widespread adoption (weak AI). It is difficult to think about a business model for something that has not yet taken shape.

What is certain, though, is that the arrival of strong AI will create enormous opportunities. AI could be used in anything and would be even more malleable than the internet. In situations like that, a company's survival tends to depend more on technology and creativity, and relatively less on its business model—but who knows?

As a future company leader, I will need a clear grasp of many things. The business model will certainly be one of them.

The Ultimate Form of Humanity I Can Imagine

The ultimate, attainable form of humanity I can imagine is this:
Human intelligence is developed with the help of technology, integrated with AI, and joined to bodies made from some material. Humans become an interplanetary species with transferable consciousness.

This would require advances in computer science, biomedical engineering, materials science, aerospace engineering, and other disciplines.

Although I do not expect to see this achieved in my lifetime, contributing to it would be a way of fulfilling the responsibility of our generation. (This is rather fanciful, I know—but perhaps my name leaves me little choice.)

If we really reach that stage, I hope I will be the one setting the industry's rules, rather than capital. This is another reason I want to do this myself. Others may share the same intentions, but I know that I can hold on to mine and keep AI a little less tainted by capital.

A Platform for Like-Minded People, Not for Capital

I have always believed that people's traits are influenced by the social environment of their own era, broadly speaking:

  • Our grandparents, born in times of war and turmoil, sought stability above all.
  • Our parents, born in a relatively stable but not affluent era, sought material prosperity.
  • Our generation, born into more prosperous lives, has more room to pursue fulfillment of the mind and spirit.

(I am speaking in relative terms here.)

To me, inner fulfillment comes down to the pursuit of beauty, in art and spirit, and the realization of one's own value. Why does this not seem to be the prevailing mood today? I think people are inherently greedy and vain. As a result, many people still spend their lives pursuing luxury even when they already live comfortably.

I suspect this is unavoidable. Still, since our grandparents, parents, and earlier generations laid such a solid foundation for us, more and more people of our generation ought to pursue inner fulfillment. Only then can we say that we have lived up to the task of our era.

As I said earlier, capital is the crystallization of human greed and vanity. If a company works for money, I do not think it will use the resources it controls as effectively as it ought to. The same company, led by someone guided by ideals, would surely have a greater social impact than one led by someone guided by capital.

To a large extent, we need capital to drive social development because people guided by ideals are scarce. But that does not mean that capital-driven development is the most perfect form.

For employees, if they work just as hard for money as they would for an ideal, there is no need to insist on anything more. But I believe it makes a difference if those who steer the company as a whole are guided by ideals.

As I mentioned above, I believe this is an era in which people willing to devote themselves to ideals are emerging. If a company could accommodate their ambitions, I believe it would create greater social benefits.

Biomedical engineering and materials engineering, for example, are not favored by capital, at least in China, because the time needed to recover investment is long and research and development are difficult. This directly slows their development. That is precisely the kind of unreasonable structure produced when social resources are allocated according to capital.

How wonderful it would be if I could build a platform like this, bringing together society's intellectual resources and directing them toward social progress, with a little less emphasis on capital.

Even if I am not the person who ultimately achieves it, my efforts will let more people see the possibility. Let us wait for the stars to shine.

Lighting the Way for Human Civilization’s Exploration

This statement may look like the result of the first two, but it is not their inevitable result.

(I cannot continue this part for now.)

On Planning

Everything I do should revolve around my ultimate ideal.

I need a strong instinct for the field:

  • Build a solid foundation in computer science during my undergraduate years.
  • Join an AI lab as an undergraduate to develop the basics.
  • Study AI in graduate school.
  • Work in the computing industry and understand its direction.

I need sufficient entrepreneurial experience:

  • Participate in entrepreneurial projects as an undergraduate.
  • Aim for Stanford for graduate study.

I need a sufficient network of relationships:

  • Meet more students from different schools at Shenzhen University and become better known.
  • Get to know more senior people in related fields during my working life.

I need outstanding leadership skills:

  • Take on various leadership positions at university.
  • Become a senior executive before turning thirty-five.

I need to meet my material needs before I can pursue inner fulfillment:

  • Achieve financial independence before turning thirty-five.

The Ideal Sequence

In my first and second undergraduate years, build the foundations, maintain my GPA, complete my ACM training, aim for at least a silver medal, and learn the basics of AI in preparation for joining a lab. Participate in entrepreneurial projects to gain experience.

In my third and fourth years, maintain my GPA, join an AI lab, study AI systematically, and gain research experience. Intern at at least two major companies to gain experience and get a feel for their cultures. Take the TOEFL. Attend summer camps.

Apply to graduate school. If the pandemic makes studying abroad impossible, consider admission through the domestic recommendation system and build a network in China during graduate school.

Finish graduate school → enter the workforce. Choose a suitable company and work to build wealth and reach a senior position before turning thirty-five. Observe industry trends and develop relationships along the way. Try to earn an MBA.

Start a company.

The plans above are all highly idealized, and reality changes in many ways. All I can say is that whatever decisions I make, I should keep running toward my goal. A reminder to myself.

Closing Thoughts

People often dismiss the words of a twenty-year-old, invoking their own experience to call it “youthful recklessness.” Yet some reckless young people do achieve something while they are young.