John Hopcroft: AI Facilitates Knowledge Dissemination but Cannot Replace Education

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By Sharon Hu, 21st Century Business Herald, SFC

“Although ChatGPT has gained immense popularity, I have no inclination to use it at present," John Hopcroft, winner of the 1986 Turing Award and Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told 21st Century Business Herald. 

Hopcroft stated that AI technologies represented by ChatGPT are an emerging scientific and technological achievement. He said that no one had anticipated that such applications could be derived from information compression technology as its underlying principle, but scientific research originates from paths that most people consider unfeasible.

However, Hopcroft also emphasized that only two major technologies have truly transformed education: the blackboard and the printing press. He believes that AI will impact education—it will assist teachers rather than replace them. 

Hopcroft gave a speech at the 2025 Greater Bay Area Science Forum, which is being held at the Nansha International Convention and Exhibition Center from December 6 to 8.