杭州市科学技术协会

From July 14 to 26, the 2024 International Congress on Basic Science (ICBS) was held in Beijing, organized by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the International Consortium of Chinese Mathematicians (ICCM), and other groups. Under the theme “Advancing Science for Humanity,” the congress attracted over 1,000 scientists from more than 40 countries and regions to focus on three key branches of basic science: mathematics, theoretical physics, and theoretical computer and information sciences. The program featured over 500 high-level lectures, six satellite meetings, more than ten exchange events, and various science outreach activities.

The congress presented the 2024 Basic Science Life-time Achievement Award (BSLA) and the Frontiers of Science Award (FSA) to scientists who made outstanding contributions to basic science. BSLA recipients included six outstanding contemporary scientists: Andrew Wiles of the University of Oxford, Richard Hamilton of Columbia University, Edward Witten of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, Alexei Kitaev of the California Institute of Technology, Andrew Chi-Chih Yao of Tsinghua University, and Leslie Valiant of Harvard University.

Also, 139 top research papers from universities, research institutions, and companies in more than 20 countries and regions were selected for the FSA. These included 88 papers in mathematics, 24 in theoretical physics, and 27 in theoretical computer and information sciences.

ICBS also provided an interactive platform for young scholars, students, and science enthusiasts. A series of special events took place during the congress including three salons--Evening of Mathematics, Evening of Physics, and Evening of Computer Science— at which several international award winners discussed cutting-edge scientific topics. At the “Dialogue with Scientists” event, exceptional young individuals found the chance to engage in close conversations with leading scientists. Two poster sessions showcasing the achievements of Chinese university and high school students were also held, offering international scholars a direct look at the innovative work of China’s youth.

The first International Congress on Basic Science, held at the newly completed Tsinghua Xuetang from July 16 to 28, 2023, was organized by CAST, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, ICCM, and others under the theme “Advancing Science for Humanity.” It brought over 300 international scientists from more than 40 countries and regions together, including nearly 80 of the world’s leading experts, many of whom hold prestigious awards such as the Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, A.M. Turing Award, Wolf Prize, Shaw Prize, and Breakthrough Prize. The event was also attended by academics and representatives of major international academic organizations. With a strong emphasis on openness, trust, and cooperation, the first ICBS established a new platform for academic exchange, promoting greater openness and cooperation in basic science research in China.

At the 2024 ICBS, the A.M. Turing Award winners in theoretical computer and information science including Andrew Chi-Chih Yao and Leslie Valiant delivered compelling talks. They shared cutting-edge research findings and academic insights in the field of computer science.

On July 16, the A.M. Turing Award-winning computer scientist Leslie Valiant delivered a lecture titled “The Importance of Being Educable” in which he explored the fundamental capability that empowered humans to build complex civilizations. He introduced the concept of “Educability,” offering it as a key explanation for humanity’s unique achievements.

Valiant argued that the term “intelligence” lacks the behavioral specificity needed to explain human development and that it isn’t computationally feasible in its current form. To address this, he proposed “Educability”--a capability that involves learning from experience, learning from others, and integrating these forms of learning to apply knowledge effectively in various situations.

He broke down “Educability” into three components: first, acquiring beliefs and knowledge through inductive reasoning from experience similar to the “Probably Approximately Correct (PAC)” model used in machine learning; second, applying this acquired knowledge to specific scenarios; and third, gaining knowledge through descriptions and instruction from others. These combined abilities enable humans to continuously progress and develop advanced technologies and sciences.

Valiant highlighted the performance of large-scale language models in generating coherent text as an example of how computational tasks can simulate certain human capabilities. However, he pointed out that current machine learning models excel primarily at learning from examples and do not capture the full spectrum of human abilities. The concept of “Educability” thus aims to broaden the scope of computational models, offering a more comprehensive simulation and understanding of human potential.

In concluding his lecture, Valiant proposed six research directions rooted in the concept of “Educability.” He emphasized that better understanding human abilities through computational models could set the stage for future technological advancements and provide a more scientific basis for educational practices.

For detailed information, please click here to download CAST Newsletter No. 43.