HUMANITIES STUDIES TAKE BACK SEAT AS AI SURGES AHEAD

Cutting of university liberal arts enrollments sparks heated debate among academics

Fudan University's decision to slash its humanities enrollments by up to half and expand its technology-focused programs has sparked a fierce academic debate about the value of humanities subjects in the era of booming artificial intelligence.

The strategic pivot by the Shanghai-based university mirrors moves by Peking and Tsinghua universities to boost undergraduate intakes in AI and related fields. This is despite Fudan being celebrated as a traditional stronghold of the humanities.

At this year's annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing, Fudan University President Jin Li, who is also an NPC deputy, revealed plans to restructure the engineering departments into six innovation colleges specializing in integrated circuits, intelligent robotics and advanced manufacturing.