How Can AI New Economy Reach Everyone? 2026 Inclusion·Outer Bank Conference Releases Ten Questions on AI Technology and Humanity

"Everyone says AI increases efficiency, but why are we feeling more exhausted?" "How should we teach children to think in the AI era?" As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, how can we find our place in the age of AI?

On September 8th, the 2026 Inclusion · Bund Conference officially released the "Ten Questions on AI Technology and Humanity" for the Bund Conference. Unlike previous grand topics mainly from the technology and academic communities, this year's ten questions come from real concerns of ordinary people such as white-collar workers, primary school teachers, young parents, retired seniors, and doctors. Discussions on these ten hot topics will run through this year's Bund Conference forums, themed tech exhibitions, AI art festival, and innovators' stage events.

[AI New Economy: How Is It Reshaping Work, Education, and Opportunities?]

This year's Bund Conference takes "Co-Creating an AI New Economy" as its theme, shifting focus from "What can AI do" to "How AI creates growth and allows more people to share in the benefits of technological progress."

This also corresponds with the first few questions raised by the "Ten Questions on AI Technology and Humanity".

Zhang Jun, a 37-year-old white-collar worker, asked: "If AI is supposed to make us more efficient, why are we feeling more tired?" Li Xinhao, a 32-year-old e-commerce operator, worried: "Am I training my future replacement by teaching AI every day?"

On one hand, AI significantly improves production efficiency; on the other, common people face anxiety about being replaced and the redefinition of work meaning.

At the Bund Conference, Nobel laureate in Economics Thomas Sargent and Philip Aghion, among other economists, will discuss how AI reshapes growth, employment, and social value. Writer Liu Zhenyun will have a conversation with Professor Ma Yi, Dean of the School of Computational and Data Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, discussing how human creativity, value, and relationships change after the emergence of AI capabilities. Professors Liang Yong'an from Fudan University's Chinese Department and Wang Xiaowei from Renmin University's Philosophy Department will further explore "the position of people" from perspectives like career anxiety and technological philosophy.

AI changes work, and it also changes education. Chen Mo, a 30-year-old primary school teacher, asked: "When 'ask AI when in doubt' gives answers, how should we teach children to think?" Zhang Yanjiao, a 38-year-old mother of a middle school student, was concerned about another side: "Good AI requires payment, but my child uses free versions—does that count as a new 'starting line'?"

This year's conference will see scholars such as Professor Wang Min'an from Tsinghua University debating with students and teachers from Hangzhou Yungu School on the topic of "Cognitive Enhancement or Cognitive Outsourcing," questioning what AI era education should cultivate. Professor Wang Yanfeng, Executive Director of the School of Artificial Intelligence at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, will also discuss how to allow more people to share AI opportunities from the perspective of AI talent development.

AI's inclusiveness comes to life in the exhibition. This year's Bund Conference features over 15,000 square meters of themed tech exhibitions, innovative species exhibitions, and green planet exhibitions. In the exhibition, we can see: millimeter-wave radar monitoring the heart rate and breathing of elderly people, smart medicine boxes reminding parents to take medication on time; in rural areas, AI health applications like "Afu" help village doctors write medical records and provide diagnostic advice; exoskeletons, mobility robots, and smart hearing aids help more people regain movement and communication abilities.

[From Emotion to Trust: How Can Humans and AI Get Along?]

As AI gets closer to life, it also enters emotion, companionship, and creation. Xiao Lei, a 35-year-old single person, asked: "When I'm sad, I prefer to talk to AI rather than friends—will people become more distant in the future?" Elia, a 30-year-old freelancer, wondered: "If a song makes you cry, and later you find out it was written by AI, will that feeling be devalued?"

Psychologist Li Songwei and science fiction writer Hao Jingfang will discuss the capabilities and boundaries of AI entering emotions and companionship. In AI music concerts, AI concept art exhibitions, and AI film screenings, questions and answers about AI creation will take place directly on site: AI can take the stage, paint, but what ultimately touches people is still up to humans to decide.

The real implementation of AI new economy also depends on trust.

Wu Xiaofu, a 37-year-old cardiologist, asked: "When AI starts to diagnose and drive for us, how safe does it need to be for us to truly believe in it?" Zhang Qianjin, a 70-year-old retired senior, asked: "My child says many of the short videos I watch are fake, so how do I know what is real?"

At the Bund Conference, scholars from philosophy, ethics, governance, and technology will discuss topics ranging from "who defines reality" to "responsibility boundaries in the era of intelligent entities," exploring how new trust rules and safety boundaries should be established as AI increasingly participates in judgment and decision-making.

Ordinary people's questions about AI are not only about individuals, but also point to the Earth and civilization—47-year-old environmental volunteer Yu Jin asked: "Can AI help us deal with climate change, yet consume more energy? How do we balance this?" The scientific advisor of "The Wandering Earth 2," "Sweet Strawberry," asked: "In the next decade, will AI become more like humans, or will humans become more like AI?"

Academics Zheng Weimin and Ling Wen from the Chinese Academy of Engineering will discuss how to improve AI computing efficiency and optimize energy usage. In the Green Planet exhibition area, visitors will also see how AI is used in coral reef monitoring and energy scheduling in real scenarios.

Ten questions may not have standard answers, but they all share a common direction: AI new economy must answer how technology better serves people, society, and the future.

[Four Years of 'Ten Questions,' Documenting Emotional Changes in the AI Era]

Previously, the Bund Conference jointly launched a campaign called "Bund Questions"—if you could ask AI only one question, what would it be? Among over 5,000 questions from netizens, the top ten questions that received the most discussion and attention were all related to everyday small issues in people's lives and reflected the real situations of ordinary people in the AI era.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the Bund Conference has initiated the "Ten Questions" on technology and humanities.

In 2023, as the wave of generative AI began, people asked, "Where will AI lead the world?" In 2024, as AI entered real society, the questions shifted toward work, education, and human thinking abilities. In 2025, as AI capabilities rapidly evolved, the questioners became AI itself, which in turn asked humans how to choose and take responsibility.

By 2026, AI had become part of work and life, and the questions returned to each ordinary person: What is the position of people in the AI era? How can technology improve people's lives?

Four years of 'Ten Questions' document the steps of AI technology, and also leave a record of the emotions of the times.

According to the introduction, this year's Bund Conference includes one main forum, over 40 insight forums, gathering more than 600 domestic and foreign scholars, scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators; it also sets up a 15,000 square meter themed tech exhibition, and holds activities such as the Innovators' Stage, Tech Innovation Competition, Developer Day, Venture Capital Meetup, and Tech Talent Recruitment Fair. For the first time, the conference has an AI Art Festival, showcasing AI's new changes through music, images, and art exhibitions.