Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 11:00 AM EDT - 11:30 AM EDT

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life in China, shaping how people learn, work, communicate, and interact with technology. How are these experiences shaped by generation, geography, and access to digital technology? This conversation will explore AI’s impact across Chinese society, from education and digital literacy to the future of work and workforce adaptation. 

On September 29, 2026, Silvia Lindtner and Selina Xu join Louise Matsakis to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping everyday life, education, and society in China as well as how China’s approach to AI regulation compares with developments in the United States.

Speakers

Silvia Lindtner

Silvia Margot Lindtner is a professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and director of the Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing (ESC). She has most recently been a visiting professor at the Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center and at New York University (NYU) Shanghai. She is the author of the award-winning book Prototype Nation: China and the Contested Promise of Innovation (Princeton University Press, 2020). She has spent two decades conducting ethnographic research in China, advancing the social and cultural study of technology. She regularly comments on China and technology in media around the world, including The Economist, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and PBS. Dr. Lindtner is an NCUSCR Public Intellectuals Program fellow. 

Selina Xu

Selina Xu is a New York City-based researcher and writer covering China, artificial intelligence, and the geopolitics of technology. She currently leads China and AI policy research for Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google. Previously, Ms. Xu was a China journalist at Bloomberg. She is a Penn Project Fellow 2026-2027 and writes a newsletter on China at https://selinaxuwrites.substack.com/. 

Moderator

Louise Matsakis

Louise Matsakis is a Los Angeles-based journalist covering China and the global technology industry. She is currently a senior business editor at WIRED, where she helps oversee coverage of artificial intelligence, venture capital, and the impact of Chinese tech companies around the world. She has spent most of her career reporting on China and U.S.-China technology issues, including TikTok, the rise of e-commerce apps like Temu and Shein, China’s AI industry, and U.S. export controls on advanced chips. She previously held reporting and editing roles at Semafor, NBC News, Rest of World, and other publications. Ms. Matsakis studied Mandarin intensively in Taiwan and is a 2026 Jefferson Fellow at the East-West Center. She holds a degree in philosophy from New York University.