Deep Reading with AI: A New Paradigm in China
In a classroom in northeastern China, students are engaging with literary giants like Confucius and Lu Xun, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation. The use of AI-powered software is redefining the way students interact with classic Chinese literature, transforming it into a more immersive and engaging experience.
Breaking Down Barriers to Deep Reading
According to official data, China’s digital reading user base has reached 670 million, with a 17.5% year-on-year increase. However, experts warn that the convenience of digital tools can sometimes compromise the depth of reading.
- Nie Zhenning, head of the national reading committee at the Publishers Association of China, highlights the importance of leveraging digital tools to build a knowledge base in fragmented reading time.
- Nie notes that AI can break down barriers and inject fresh energy into the pursuit of deep reading, making it more accessible to a wider range of readers.
AI-Assisted Reading: A New Paradigm
In Shenyang, Liaoning Province, students use AI-powered software to interact with avatars of literary giants. This interactive approach helps students explore the depths of their meaning and overcome challenges in understanding classic Chinese literature.
“AI is not just a tool here, it’s more like a guide and a mentor,” said Zheng Jun, the school’s principal. “It helps students crack open the classics and explore the depths of their meaning when they hit a wall.”
A Digital Reading Platform with AI Power
Liu Shuai, a doctoral candidate in classic Chinese literature, uses a digital reading platform called Shidianguji. This platform has digitized over 18,000 Chinese classics and made them available on mobile and web platforms.
- Shidianguji is a collaboration between tech giant ByteDance and Peking University, launched in 2022.
- The platform offers features such as character recognition accuracy of 96% and named entity recognition accuracy of 98%.
Human-Machine Collaboration: The Key to Unlocking AI’s Potential
Behind the interface is a powerful AI system that relies on support from apps like Douyin and Doubao. This collaboration enables more than 10,000 students and teachers to contribute to the annotation and editing of ancient texts, making them more accessible to a wider audience.
- More than 1,600 ancient texts, totaling nearly 200 million characters, have been edited, annotated and shared through this AI-human collaboration.
- The platform has sparked interest in classic Chinese literature among children and has transformed the way reading is experienced.
Challenges and Future Prospects
While AI is revolutionizing the landscape of deep reading and knowledge exploration, experts note that current AI reading tools often fall short in asking meaningful, professional-level questions. The key to unlocking AI’s full potential is the closer integration of academia and industry.
“Deep reading still has a paper side. We must not forget to keep reading books the old-fashioned way,” said Nie Zhenning.
A New Era of Reading
As AI continues to shape the landscape of deep reading and knowledge exploration, experts envision a future where AI-generated content becomes a common feature of daily life. However, Nie reminds us that deep reading still has a place in our lives and that we must not forget to read books the old-fashioned way.
