Financial universities address AI-age education challenges, opportunities

The Shanghai University of Finance and Economics played host to a conference addressing the opportunities and challenges faced by financial universities in the era of data intelligence on Nov 9.

The gathering drew over 100 leaders, experts and representatives from the Ministry of Education, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and 49 financial universities across the nation.

In the opening ceremony, XuTao, Party secretary of the university, emphasized the deep integration of data intelligence technologies into various sectors of economic and social development and higher education processes. This integration is propelled by the rapid evolution of the new technological revolution and industrial transformation driven by artificial intelligence, Xu said.

"Traditional financial universities are encountering fresh challenges amidst national strategic adjustments," Xu said in his opening address, highlighting the university's advancements in disciplinary construction and calling for robust exchanges among universities to collectively chart future development trajectories and infuse new vigor into the reform and growth of financial universities.

Wang Hao, the deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, underscored the significance of digital economy as a new growth driver for Shanghai's forthcoming industrial development. He highlighted the transformative impact of digital technologies on knowledge dissemination and application methods, paving the way for global educational reforms.

"Build a digital society, create a digital life, the key is to drive future educational reform with digitization, cultivate a large number of individuals with solid digital literacy and high-level digital talents," Wang said. He pledged Shanghai's support to the development of digital economy disciplines at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics to elevate the school's course offerings and services.

Wu Shixing, deputy director of the Higher Education Department at the Ministry of Education, proposed accelerating the cultivation of innovative talents in the financial domain, deepening industry-education integration to foster novel educational models and constructing innovative forms of financial education and teaching. He underlined the pivotal role of financial universities in navigating technological revolutions and industrial transformations, discussing strategies to fortify the talent cultivation system in financial universities during the era of data intelligence.

Weng Tiehui, former deputy minister of the Ministry of Education, highlighted the profound impact of the data intelligence era on the education sector. She stressed the imperative for financial universities to clarify their educational positioning, continually enhance their capabilities across all facets and adapt to the developmental trends of the data intelligence epoch.

Throughout the conference, experts shared their perspectives to develop and explore educational reforms in financial universities in the era of data intelligence. The discussions culminated in a joint declaration outlining their commitment to the high-quality advancement of financial education.