Oxford China Forum 2025: Interdisciplinary Clarity in a Fragmented World
Forum Dates
9 March 2025 (Offline) & 15–16 March 2025 (Online)
Venue
Said Business School, University of Oxford + Online
Co-Organized by
Oxford China Forum, with support from GYDA and other partners
About the Forum
The 12th Oxford China Forum brought together a diverse constellation of scholars, technologists, economists, artists, and policy thinkers to address global complexity through interdisciplinary clarity. Under the theme “Clarity and Convergence” (融彻捭阖), this year’s forum examined how structural challenges—ranging from AI ethics and mental health to youth anxiety and cultural representation—can be reframed and engaged through cross-domain synthesis.
Since its inception in 2013, OCF has evolved into one of Europe’s most rigorous China-focused academic gatherings. Broadcast globally via Sohu, Phoenix TV, and Douyin, it has attracted over 10 million cumulative views and hosted hundreds of public figures—from former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to philosopher Michael Sandel and DJI founder Frank Wang.
The 2025 forum was supported by a wide network of collaborators, including the Global Youth Development Alliance (GYDA), who contributed to the programme’s structural design and speaker liaison. For GYDA, this engagement aligns with the Signal Catcher — Seminar initiative, which seeks to democratize access to deep, strategic insights by curating expert-led sessions that uncover geopolitical and economic inflection points.
As with GYDA’s wider seminar activities, the forum’s sessions were not simply topical—they were contextual. From power asymmetries in digital intimacy to legal frameworks for AI-generated labor, discussions explored how risk, opportunity, and meaning are shaped across regions and disciplines.
Main Forum Highlights
Held on 9 March 2025 at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, the offline forum featured three key thematic sessions:
AI and Emotional Companionship
Experts explored how AI is reshaping human emotional experience and mental health care—highlighting ethical, psychological, and privacy concerns. Speakers included Prof. Nick Bostrom, Jennifer Cearns, Kyle Jenson, and others. A roundtable on data intimacy and digital ethics was moderated by AI ethics researcher and Guardian journalist Raphael Hernandes.
Youth Anxiety and Time Sovereignty
This session tackled systemic pressures on youth in the digital age. Scholars including Prof. Guy Standing and Dr. Wang Dong discussed structural time inequality and the challenges posed by techno-capitalist regimes to personal agency.
Emerging Technologies and Global Order
This panel examined AI’s impact on labor markets and the evolving intersection between technological competition and global governance. Key speakers included Prof. Fu Xiaolan, Carsten Jung, Fabian Stephany, and Kerry Brown.
Online Forum Sessions
Held on 15–16 March 2025, the online portion of OCF featured sessions on:
- Global China: Cultural expression and Chinese identity abroad
- AI & Law: Labor rights and IP protection in the AI era
- Neurodiverse Cities: Designing inclusive urban environments
- Emotional AI Online: Gamification, intimacy, and public dialogue
- AI & Arts: The evolving synergy between technology and artistic creation
Sessions featured renowned scholars, legal experts, artists, and engineers from institutions such as UCLA, HKU, Tsinghua, Imperial College, and Character AI. Topics ranged from IP ownership in generative AI to city planning for autism inclusivity, to the role of tarot and gaming in mental health discourse.
