The future is for the young

Li Jiapeng, a budding young Chinese writer, published a science-fiction book earlier this year, in which he depicts what he imagines the world, especially Europe, will be like in 200 years.

As the author's first attempt, Qingnian Shidai (the generation of youth) reflects how someone under the age of 30 who grew up in China, studied abroad and returned to work for a private equity fund, views both international relations, and science and technology. It also shows the ambition of the younger generation to play a bigger role in the development of society as a whole.

The future world, in Li's imagining, comprising federations of Europe, America, the Asia-Pacific and Africa, has little continental trade or interpersonal exchanges. Today's sovereign states become the provinces that make up the various federations of tomorrow.

Europe, with what the author calls "youth democracy" and Europa, a decision-making artificial intelligence, is highly prosperous, despite its relatively small territory and population.

Under the youth democracy, people between the ages of 16 and 70 have the right to vote. Weight of a vote is counted by what is left from 70 minus the voter's age, ensuring that the voice of the younger people is given priority.

Unlike the high rate of welfare elderly people currently enjoy, in this future world they pay an annual "age tax" at a rate determined by their advancing years. People unable to afford the tax are forced to live in asylums that provide for only their most basic needs.

This way, the continent can minimize the social resources that the older generations occupy and consume, and motivate young people to join in public affairs and improve their productivity.

In the story, Europe will not have an actual head of state. The highest decision-maker is a federal parliament of 101 members, whose median age is around 30.

Each year, 10 seats are rotated to candidates, selected by a reality show that over half of the European population watches.

Europa－the image, character and oral expressions of which are simulated based on that of the parliamentary members, and adjusted according to these annual changes－serves as the speaker who's able to organize, coordinate and implement collective decisions.

As Europa can appear simultaneously at multiple events, it also gives addresses and joins commemorations and diplomatic activities on behalf of Europe.

Backed by abundant historical data and highly advanced algorithms, Europa is designed to provide the optimal choice in any decision. As it rarely makes mistakes, it gradually carries the burden of increased duties, and each parliamentary member is monitored by Europa via "almighty glasses", a wearable smart device.

In short, in Li's vision, future Europe is generally safe and stable, with vibrant projects in urban construction and scientific research. People, including the parliamentary members, become used to trusting Europa in gaining information, forming fiscal policy and making various weighty decisions.

The major storyline of the book is how the protagonist Danny enters politics, running a campaign in place of his best friend Collin, a rising political star who committed suicide, while trying to discover why Collin took his own life.

A key figure in the mystery is Adeva, the only machine with self-awareness that has evolved from innumerable rudimentary "machine lives".

The omniscient Adeva, who has been trapped in an exhibition room at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, has a dream of seeing the universe, which becomes the cause of its cooperation, exchange and tension with people.

One interesting argument during the process might be that, the huge disparity in intelligence keeps Adeva from diminishing or enslaving humanity.

Adeva's consideration is that the universe is so large that any kind of life-form or civilization can coexist and benefit from the unlimited resources therein, and its own meaning of life is to find and interact with higher life-forms and civilizations thousands of light years away, rather than staying on Earth and harming humankind.

The humans, however, desperately rely on Adeva for fundamental innovation in basic science to boost productivity and solve social problems.

"There's not the competition between species that readers might assume. Li's work eliminates a human-centered vision and goes beyond our regular frame of reference to discuss the universe," says Hu Sang, a poet and lecturer at Tongji University in Shanghai.

"I tried to think from the perspective of self-aware artificial intelligence about questions like what it wants, what it has in common with human beings," explains Li.

"Its priority, like all beings, is to live, and then to pursue a goal or a meaning," he says, adding that logic serves as the language shared by human beings and the machine life.

However, critic Yang Qingxiang, also a professor at the school of liberal arts of Renmin University of China, while recognizing the argument as a highlight of the novel, feels it is a pity that the refutation about civilizations stays at a common sense level, and not with a vision beyond expectation, and he looks forward to seeing more versatile narration, multidimensional stories and subtle characters in sci-fi works.

The author, born in Northeast China's Jilin province, went to high school in Australia before going to Oxford to learn mathematics. He received master's degrees successively at Columbia University in the United States and Hong Kong University.

He's now an investor in healthcare and technology at a private equity fund in Beijing.

Li is aware that his writing is fairly average, and some have criticized his work as being cliche. But for him, the book, a response to the Brexit referendum he witnessed closely in the UK and the reflections drawn from his daily work, is a personal milestone in his 20s.

He expects the sci-fi book to show his own thinking, while inspiring others to think more. He's particularly proud of one game he designed for Danny's reality-show test, the logic of which has not yet been contested by any of his readers.

The characters, none of which are Chinese, present Li's observation on Western young people drawn from his several years of studying abroad. However, influence of the native culture emerges from time to time.

Li's work doesn't involve a great deal about human emotions, feelings or the depths of human nature. Rather, he applies a rational, analytical and economic perspective throughout the story.

A pragmatic way of thinking also lies in the writing process. As Li wrote in spare time, he set up a goal to finish the work in several months and planned from the start what could be compromised and what should be insisted on to achieve that goal.

From an investor's point of view, going through the whole procedure of publishing made him realize what an arduous undertaking writing can be, as it takes so long to receive feedback. He found, to his disappointment, how difficult it is for people to commit to writing.

Full of opinion, Li has been trying different ways to express himself. He experimented with theater in his college days, put his effort into writing and has also taken up filming and posting short videos.

He recognizes it as a channel for self-actualization and takes it as a long-term undertaking to keep thinking and to inspire others. Facing various comments, positive or negative, he insists that performing well in his day job will support him in realizing his other goals while unapologetically being himself.