Some young Chinese writers are said to be “in a state of panic” over rapid advances in artificial intelligence tools like DeepSeek, as they question whether the emerging technology is a blessing or a curse.
The debate was one of the key themes at a two-day conference held in Suzhou in late September – “Border Crossings in Speculative Fiction” – hosted by Nanjing University’s School of Frontier Sciences and its Institute of Global Humanities.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, one author called for stronger copyright protection in China to counter the growing use of AI, while others said they found the technology helpful.
Award-winning science fiction writer Chen Qiufan said the launch of DeepSeek in January was a turning point, and since then “many writers have fallen into a state of panic”.
“Having tried it themselves, it feels as if AI has leapt suddenly to a level approaching human capability,” he said.
“The psychological shock is much stronger for young and emerging writers than for those who are already well established.”
