EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW • 人物專訪 2023 UMAGAZINE 27 • 澳大新語 51 Navigating from English Studies to Jurisprudence Throughout his academic journey in jurisprudence, also known as legal philosophy, Prof Yu was profoundly influenced by his mentors and various serendipitous opportunities. Born in Min county, Gansu province, in Northwest China, Prof Yu took part in China’s first college entrance examination following the Cultural Revolution in 1977 and proceeded to study English at Lanzhou University. After graduation, he was assigned to work in the Department of Foreign Languages at the Northwest Institute of Political Science and Law (now the Northwest University of Political Science and Law) in Xi'an in 1983. However, foreign language departments were regarded as peripheral units within China’s political and legal institutions at that time, prompting him to consider pursuing a master’s degree in law in China to improve his career prospects. In 1985, Prof Yu encountered a visiting Australian scholar couple: Eugene Kamenka, a philosopher at the Australian National University (ANU), and Alice Tay, a jurisprudence scholar at the University of Sydney. The couple was working on a book about Marxism in China and invited Prof Yu to join the History of Ideas Unit at ANU for 18 months to assist with translating Chinese materials. This experience in Australia exposed Prof Yu to diverse cultures, Western literature, and many renowned scholars of jurisprudence from around the world. Upon returning to the Northwest Institute of Political Science and Law in 1986, he transitioned to the Department of Law, formally embarking on a career in jurisprudence. Exploring Legal History through the Great Qing Code Prof Yu soon found a new opportunity to study abroad when R. Randle Edwards, a Chinese legal history specialist from Columbia Law School, visited the Northwest Institute of Political Science and Law in 1987. Edwards sought a scholar to assist in researching the Great Qing Code, which led to Prof Yu’s first trip to the United States in 1988. With his enhanced English proficiency after visiting Australia and a childhood fascination with classical Chinese literature, he was able to interpret the Great Qing Code written in Classical Chinese. ‘This experience sparked my interest in Chinese legal history,’ he says. to prevent the inheritance. According to Prof Yu, while some researchers aim to integrate moral principles into AI systems, current technology is still incapable of comprehending the complexities of human moral reasoning. Algorithmic Society May Exacerbate Injustice In late 2022, Prof Yu published his latest book Digital Literacy: From Algorithmic Society to Web 3.0, which examines the potential pitfalls of an algorithm-driven society. The book has received critical acclaim, being included on China’s Legal Weekly’s top ten list of books about the rule of law in 2022, as well as the Xinhua Reading List by Xinhua Publishing House in February 2023. In his book, Prof Yu examines some potential ways in which an algorithmic society might exacerbate injustice. Firstly, he addresses the long-standing influence of AI algorithms, particularly deep learning algorithms, on our daily lives. As American mathematician Cathy O'Neil points out, algorithms are ‘opinions embedded in mathematics’ that reflect their designers’ biases. Prof Yu warns that if algorithms are abused, biases will become more systematic, leading to problems such as unfair employee selection or inaccurate predictions of crime rates among ethnic groups. In addition to addressing the issue of algorithm bias, Prof Yu also highlights the potential widening of the ‘digital divide’ as new technologies advance. Today, tech giants owning cutting-edge AI algorithms benefit from unparalleled productivity, while individuals skilled in developing and using new technologies enjoy career advantages. However, not everyone has the same opportunities to access such technologies. As companies compete to develop more intelligent machine learning models and algorithms, Prof Yu stresses the need for the government and society to take timely action to ensure these technologies are used fairly and align with fundamental human principles. Without such measures, he warns that the digital divide will continue to expand, pushing us further from an ideal society where both morality and rationality flourish.
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