PAIR Distinguished Lecture: Prof. ZHOU Ming of Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China, delivers “Engineering in the AI Era - The Grand Arc of Technology through the Ages”

Abstract

For thousands of years, engineering has transformed civilization by extending what humans can imagine and create. Craftsmanship gave us ancient marvels, built through intuition, experience, and extraordinary skill. The Industrial Revolution ushered in an analytical era, when mathematics and physical laws made engineering systematic and scalable. The numerical era brought computation and simulation, enabling engineers to explore complexity beyond analytical reach. Today, artificial intelligence signals another profound transition: interpreting intent, generating alternatives, orchestrating tools, and learning from results. This presentation explores how agentic AI could reshape engineering. As knowledge becomes executable and expertise more accessible, the frontier shifts toward defining meaningful problems, exercising judgment, and imagining possibilities previously beyond reach. The opportunity is unprecedented: to amplify human ingenuity. Drawing on his journey from university education through transformative research to industrial applications, the speaker will reflect on Learning, Research, Innovation, and Life, exploring how these pursuits shape one another across a lifetime.

Online registration will be closed one working day prior to the event.