New Year talk event encourages young people to embrace new ideas, express themselves

Photo: Weibo account of FlagTalk

A New Year talk event for young people on Monday saw seven young speakers and four adult speakers from schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong sharing their future visions and perspectives on frontier technologies, nature exploration, art, education and sport.

With the fast development of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as AI-generated content, what changes have been made and how should people adapt? The event, FlagTalk, aimed to offer some answers.

One of the speakers, Zhou Chen, a composer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, shared his experiences in using AI technologies, so as to encourage young people to embrace the new technology while still learning and developing their own creativity in life.

Zhang Shenlu, a high school student, shared her experience of working in a community in order to make a proposal to the government concerning intelligent transportation. The speech showed how young people can fulfill their responsibilities and obligations and actively participate in urban development and construction through their own practical work.

A speech by a programming novice and technology gold medalist, 10-year-old Xue Shaoqing, encouraged children to explore their interests and use technology to create the future. Hou Jiaqi from the Chinese University of Hong Kong talked about using his experience on the football field for learning, inspiring his peers to discover that hobbies and learning are never enemies, but partners. Jin Mingyi, who has been exploring nature since he was 9 years old, advised everyone to experience the beauty of China, from the Yellow River and Qinghai Lake to the Tengger Desert.

New Year's speeches are a particularly meaningful way to celebrate the special day. The stories from the teenagers inspired the audience to explore the infinite possibilities of life, and to understand themselves better.

As a public speaking platform for young people to express themselves and connect with the world, FlagTalk provides a stage for children with bright ideas to speak out. It also inspires young people to think and show what they love.

Through their stories, young people can encourage and call on more peers to dare to express their views and become voices for positive energy.

Global Times