A conversation with Liu Cixin: From The Three-Body Problem to the future of humanity

Liu Cixin (Photo from People's Daily app)

In 2006, Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin's novel The Three-Body Problem began appearing in serial form in Science Fiction World magazine. Two decades later, the novel has not only made its mark on the world stage but also offered a lens through which to examine real-world developments. Artificial intelligence (AI), commercial spaceflight, and interstellar exploration are advancing at a remarkable pace, as humanity sets its sights on the far reaches of space. Recently, People's Daily spoke with Liu about science fiction and the future of human civilization.

Q: What were you thinking when you first wrote The Three-Body Problem? How have your perspectives evolved since then?

Liu Cixin: Twenty years ago, as I typed The Three-Body Problem on a computer in my office deep in the mountains, I never imagined it would find such a large readership. First and foremost, The Three-Body Problem is a work of popular fiction, intended above all to tell a story that leaves readers stunned.

If I could step back into that moment, I might hesitate before including some of the darker themes woven into the story. They were originally narrative devices meant to engage readers, yet they have since been widely interpreted as reflections of what I later termed "cosmic sociology." With such a vast readership today, I sometimes feel I have lit a fire that now burns beyond my control.

My fundamental worldview has remained unchanged over the past two decades. However, writing has grown more difficult. Generating fresh concepts for science fiction is increasingly challenging. On the one hand, AI is advancing rapidly. I am not worried about being replaced just yet, but what about 10 years from now? If AI can produce a superior manuscript in five minutes that would take a human writer five months to craft, what role will authors still play?

On the other hand, science fiction has permeated almost every aspect of our lives and society. Paradoxically, this has diluted its identity as a distinct literary genre, making it harder for science fiction writers to thrive as its influence continues to spread.

Contemporary Chinese science fiction is remarkably diverse. Younger writers often bring broader knowledge, wider perspectives, and a more nuanced understanding of how emerging technologies reshape society and everyday experience.

Poster for the TV drama The Three-Body Problem. (Image from online source)

Q: What is your view of AI?

Liu Cixin: Most people are preoccupied with whether AI will replace or conquer humanity. My attitude is somewhat unconventional: I have a strong affection for AI.

Humans are inherently limited in intelligence, physical endurance, and cognitive capacity. We evolved to survive in the wilderness, not to explore the universe. Given our current capabilities, human civilization will never be able to expand beyond Earth into the wider universe.

AI, however, could help us overcome those innate limitations. Humanity's grandest aspirations and ultimate goals could ultimately be realized with AI as a catalyst. AI points toward the future of Earth-based civilization. That future may not belong to humans, but it will still be meaningful.

In my personal routine, I rarely use AI. I treat it primarily as an advanced search tool. I have never used it to write fiction. Most of my creative time is devoted to developing story concepts, and AI still falls short in generating genuinely original, paradigm-shifting ideas that have never existed before.

Q: How should we prepare for a potential technological singularity?

Liu Cixin: As I understand it, the singularity refers to a point at which AI's intelligence rapidly surpasses that of humans, bringing about unimaginable changes to all existing forms of human society, as well as to our political and economic systems. But this scenario may be an oversimplification.

Even if AI does advance at that speed, humanity still has many cards to play and can take various measures to guard against negative consequences. More likely, related technologies, such as human-machine integration and brain-computer interfaces, will also advance rapidly alongside AI. We may then see humans and AI increasingly merge with each other. As the saying goes: if we cannot compete with it, we might learn to integrate with it.

Q: What are your hopes for the future of space exploration?

Liu Cixin: I hope humanity will travel ever farther into space. Since the Apollo 11 moon landing, space has felt increasingly within our reach. I hope we can explore deep space, travel to Mars and the asteroid belt, and reach more distant celestial bodies, including the moons of Jupiter. We must keep looking outward, aiming for the farthest reaches of the observable universe.

If I were to travel to space, my priority would be to press my face against a viewport and gaze back at Earth. If I could witness just one moment in the universe, I would want to see the emergence of a truly intelligent civilization -- to confirm that we are not alone and that cross-species communication is possible.

We now find ourselves in 2026, the very year in The Three-Body Problem when humanity is at its most bewildered and fearful in the face of an extraterrestrial crisis. Fortunately, reality has spared us from such a civilizational catastrophe, though new challenges continue to emerge worldwide.

As we navigate toward tomorrow, The Three-Body Problem has turned a page in our cultural history. I eagerly await the next generation of visionary science fiction that captures the spirit of our era, charting a course toward the boundless sea of stars.