Guangming Daily reporter Wang Meiying

　　近日，2025中国科幻大会（以下简称“大会”）在京举办。在开幕式上，双足仿生机器人“幻幻”从屏幕中走出来，与主持人开展了一场妙趣横生的AI互动,首钢园四高炉旁边，19米金属零件拼装的机械巨龙“长城龙”正舒展身躯，鳞片开合间发出铿锵的机械交响……

Nowadays, science fiction is no longer a gaze into the distance, but countless "moments" that shine into reality. As Liu Cixin said at the opening ceremony of the conference: "When manned spacecraft pierce the sky, when quantum computers unravel chaos, these 'real soils' are nourishing a future that is more sci-fi than sci-fi." ”

"The interaction between technological innovation and the development of science fiction is not only a collaborative issue at the industrial level, but also a key proposition related to the change of the technological system and the evolution of the civilization process, which is worthy of our in-depth discussion." Wang Chunfa, chairman of the China Science Writers Association, threw out his thesis. On this topic, the reporter interviewed a number of experts at the conference.

Science fiction creation drives scientific and technological innovation

"What was once a fantasy between the pages of a book is becoming a reality step by step." Science fiction writer Wang Jinkang said that in the journey of human exploration of the unknown, science fiction literature uses words to carry mankind's endless reverie about the universe, science and technology and their own destiny, giving birth to many film and television masterpieces and science fiction games.

"The science fiction industry, as a new form of cultural creativity with both scientific rationality, humanistic care and industrial innovation, is naturally based on the intersection of technological leap and ideological change, reflecting the internal logic of scientific and technological evolution, and indicating the development direction of the future industry." Wang Chunfa said.

Gene editing technology resurrected the dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park", and neuroscience provided theoretical support for the cyborg of "Ghost in the Shell...... From gene editing to the integration of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, science fiction is gradually infiltrating reality. "The impossibility of science fiction often becomes the starting point for the possibility of scientific breakthroughs." Li Xin, executive vice chairman of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, said.

"Science fiction literature and life science are like the double helix of DNA, one carries the beautiful imagination of human beings for the future, and the other records the precise code of the evolution of life. Li Xin said.

Science fiction is not only an extension of the laboratory, but also a link between science and the public.

"A lot of science fiction in the past has become the scientific reality of the present, and our current science fiction may have laid the ideological foundation for the development of science in the next generation." Chen Runsheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and researcher of the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that since the 90s of the 0th century, big data has continuously promoted the progress of life sciences. If the genetic code containing life and health information can be deciphered at the molecular level, it will be fundamental for the popularization of health and the evolution of precision medicine.

The romance of science fiction stems from mankind's eternal yearning for the sea of stars; The breakthrough of technology has turned this yearning into a tangible mark of the times.

Once upon a time, traveling thousands of miles a day was an important theme in science fiction works. In recent years, the technological fantasy of "travel without boundaries and zero congestion in cities" has gradually come to fruition. Flying cars, autonomous driving, hyperloop, intelligent traffic management systems...... The common elements of these science fiction works are gradually becoming a part of daily life. At the special forum of "Science Fiction + Future Transportation" of the conference, many guests imagined that future transportation can travel through time and space, and even without physical carriers. Who knows if this wild imagination will become a reality in the future!

Visitors experience the technological equipment at the 2025 Beijing Science Fiction Carnival site. Photo by Liu Yihan / Guangming Pictures

AI technology facilitates the creation of science fiction

A number of guests at the meeting said that as China's "artificial intelligence +" action continues to advance, innovative technologies such as AI will greatly empower sci-fi content creation and IP development, and the impact on the sci-fi industry will be further revealed.

"The empowerment of the latest scientific and technological advances has enabled the science fiction narrative to continue to extend from the text form to the immersive, interactive, and multimodal direction, promoting the continuous evolution and improvement of the artistic expression of science fiction creation." Wang Chunfa believes that breakthroughs in big data, cloud computing, AI, virtual reality and other technologies have promoted the iterative upgrading of the science fiction industry.

The creation of science fiction literature in the era of AI is a hot topic at the conference.

Chen Qiufan, deputy director of the Science Fiction Literature Committee of the China Writers Association, has done a lot of exploration in AI writing. He said that the current open-source model represented by DeepSeek has demonstrated powerful text generation capabilities, which can assist writers in plot planning, background setting, character building, and even first draft creation.

"Under the innovative combination of AI + science fiction, writers can use AI to assist in building a larger and more complex world view, breaking through the boundaries of personal knowledge, and can also carry out multi-clue plot deduction through human-computer collaboration to expand the possibility of narrative." Chen Qiufan added.

"The relationship between science fiction writers and AI is, firstly, inspired by AI, and secondly, to compete with AI." Science fiction writer Gu Shi said frankly that AI and science fiction writers are also friends and foes. At present, the development of generative artificial intelligence, natural language generation, knowledge graphs, and retrieval enhancement generation has facilitated the generation of texts, illustrations, and videos in science fiction works. Gu Shi believes that with AI technology, science fiction writers may also serve as short video producers, directors, and game producers in the future.

Bao Mingming, vice chairman of the Science and Technology Association of iFLYTEK Co., Ltd., believes that the advantages of AI technology in science fiction creation are not only reflected in the improvement of efficiency, but also in the diversity provided by large parameters and knowledge graphs for its creation.

Science fiction technology and equipment support the development of science fiction industry

Sci-fi technology and equipment refer to various high-tech products that are used to support the creation of sci-fi content, optimize the sci-fi experience, and enhance the sense of interactive immersion. At the conference, Cui Yajuan, a professor of the Department of Digital Media Arts of the School of Arts of Beijing Union University, released the "2025 China Science Fiction Technology and Equipment Industry Report", which shows that the contribution of science fiction technology and equipment in the fields of games, film and television, and cultural tourism is more prominent, and a chain of upstream technical support, midstream equipment research and development, and downstream scene application has been formed.

The report also summarizes the development highlights of China's science fiction technology and equipment industry in 2024 years, which are mainly reflected in the three major directions of core technology clustering, AI-driven narrative logic reconstruction, and immersive technology scene verification.

In terms of core technology clustering, Chengdu's AI and cloud computing cluster provides an intelligent driving force for the development of the science fiction industry, the Shanghai Film and Television Special Effects Technology Group has built an artificial intelligence innovation ecosystem, and the Shanghai Science and Technology Film Metropolis has released the AI Creation Ecological Center project to build a public service platform empowered by AIGC.

For example, Cui Yajuan said that AI technology is deeply integrated into China's science fiction industry: 70% of the text of the human-computer fusion novel "Apostle of Destiny" is generated by artificial intelligence, marking a change in the way science fiction storytelling; The first AIGC sci-fi short drama "Sanxingdui: Future Apocalypse" in China was launched, and artificial intelligence was deeply involved in script planning, character shaping and scene construction, indicating the transformation of sci-fi film and television production mode.

In terms of hardware, VR/AR equipment, drones, virtual digital humans, etc., have jointly promoted the development of the science fiction industry. Cui Yajuan took the VR immersive game "Three-Body Problem: Expedition" as an example to analyze how immersive technology can empower the science fiction industry. The game uses a virtual engine to bring customers an immersive experience by using advanced technologies such as dynamic lighting tracking in the Degree of Freedom panorama mode.

"The year 2019 is known as the 'first year of Chinese science fiction films'. In order to transform the imagination in science fiction literature into film and television, it needs the empowerment of industry and high technology, and at the same time, the creation of science fiction blockbusters also leads the development of China's high-tech technology. Chen Xuguang, a professor at the School of Arts of Peking University, analyzed.

"Imagination is limitless, but technology is limited." Chen Xuguang said that every development of science fiction movies is accompanied by the progress of science and technology, and the "rapid advancement" of artificial intelligence is of great significance to the empowerment of science fiction films, which will help them overcome the limitations of the physical environment, economic conditions, and creative processes.

A student experiences VR equipment at the 2025 Beijing Science Fiction Carnival. Xinhua News Agency

There is still a vast blue ocean of Chinese science fiction

　　《2025年中国科幻产业报告》显示，2024年，中国科幻产业总营收达1089.6亿元，连续两年突破千亿规模。中国科幻产业正以惊人的速度从“小众亚文化”蝶变为“千亿级新经济引擎”，其蓝海特质不仅体现在产业规模的持续扩张，更在于技术、场景与人文的深度融合所催生的无限可能性。

"Science fiction is a future-oriented art, which leads the direction of the development of human science and technology culture by shaping future scenes." Wu Xiankui, chairman of the Sichuan Science Writers Association, believes that science fiction has a threefold mission: the "bell ringer" of technical ethics, the "navigator" of scientific and technological development, and the "early warning" of the earth's ecological crisis.

In Wang Chunfa's view, science fiction is a window to look at the future, and it is also a fertile ground for the integration of cultural self-confidence and scientific and technological self-improvement; The science fiction industry is not only a testing ground for future industrial innovation, but also a cultural carrier for the transformation of scientific and technological cognition.

"The sci-fi industry has huge potential in Asian countries, but that potential hasn't been fully unleashed right now." Norov, chairman of the Central Asian Artificial Intelligence Association, said bluntly. He believes that the science fiction industry can not only provide a platform, but also promote the development of technology, promote international cooperation, and better integrate artificial intelligence into science fiction and science fiction industries.

Norov believes that China still lacks infrastructure and coordination mechanisms to develop the science fiction industry. "Asian countries should actively develop science fiction literature and infrastructure, make full use of artificial intelligence technology, digital technology, etc., and establish a platform through global cooperation to jointly promote the development of science fiction talents." Norov suggested.

A number of guests at the meeting said that the blue ocean characteristics of China's science fiction industry are essentially the triple resonance of technology, culture and market.

"The blue ocean of Chinese science fiction is not limited to the mainland, but also to open up new channels in the wave of globalization." Yao Lifen, an associate researcher at the China Institute of Science Popularization, said. According to the "China Science Fiction Overseas Emerging Market Communication Report", Brazil and other emerging markets are "ahead of the fault" in the popularity of Chinese science fiction games, and the overseas expansion of IPs such as "The Three-Body Problem" and "The Wandering Earth" is reconstructing the discourse system of global science fiction narratives with oriental aesthetics.

As Liu Cixin said, science fiction is not only "a crystal ball that predicts the future", but also "a torch that illuminates the unknown". With the continuous development of science and technology, there is no limit to fantasy, and the story of the combination of the two will continue to expand, foreseeing the future, depicting the future, and creating the future!

　　《光明日报》（2025年04月10日 16版）

Source: Guangming Network - "Guangming Daily"