On December 8, 2025, at the invitation of the School of Foreign Languages, Southeast University, Professor Su Hui from the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Central China Normal University delivered a special lecture titled “Artificial Emotional Agents: Literary and Artistic Creation and Ethical Challenges” in Conference Room 821. Professor Su, who also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Literature Studies and Lead Principal Investigator of a National Social Science Fund Major Project, was hosted as part of the school's signature academic series, “Debate of Discourses,” and the lecture program “Seeking the Dao in Academic Research: Improving Research Competence.” The event was designed to enhance the research capacity of faculty and students and foster academic exchange. Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Wei Qingqi, and closing comments were provided by Professor Li Meiqin. The lecture was attended by faculty, master's, and doctoral students of the school.

During her lecture, Professor Su Hui provided an in-depth analysis of the application of artificial intelligence in literary creation and its associated ethical implications. She observed that with the rapid development of AI technology, generative AI writing is likely to transcend the emotional boundaries of traditional literature, creating a new paradigm of multi-directional interaction among human emotional subjects, artificial emotional subjects, and readers. Artificial emotional agents, she noted, can serve not only as objects of literary and artistic creation but may also emerge as creative subjects in their own right, thereby profoundly reshaping how emotion is defined and expressed in literature. Drawing on depictions of human-machine emotional relationships in science fiction, Professor Su further examined the emotional complexity of artificial agents and the new ethical challenges they pose, emphasizing the need to maintain a balance between ethical principles and legal frameworks as technology evolves.

Building on her research, Professor Su systematically traced the development of artificial emotional agents: from their origins as prototypes in literary and artistic works to their potential as real-world creative entities; the rise of new, multi-directional emotional interactions; and the consequent emergence of ethical issues concerning subjectivity, privacy, and social relations. She also explored the potential challenges such agents may pose to family ethics, social dynamics, and emotional privacy, noting that while they offer companionship and convenience, they also carry significant ethical risks. Accordingly, she argued, greater ethical guidance and moral governance of artificial emotional agents are needed to ensure that technology truly serves human well-being and social progress.

Professor Su shared cutting-edge reflections on artificial emotional agents, discussed the creative tension between AI and human authorship, reaffirmed the importance of ethical creativity, and encouraged scholars to explore boldly and expand academic horizons. In the lively Q&A session that followed, faculty and students raised thoughtful questions, which Professor Su addressed in detail with insights drawn from her research, fostering a vibrant atmosphere of academic exchange.

The lecture not only broadened the academic perspectives of those present but also prompted deeper reflection on the integration of technology and the humanities within the framework of the “new liberal arts.” It also provided inspiring guidance for the school's future research and talent development in related fields.

Text: Li Meng, Wu Qian

Photos: Wang Yining

Translated: Li Yixiao, Zhang Tingting

Proofreading: Guo Qing