Chinese entrepreneur and investor Tianqiao Chen said he is relatively optimistic that artificial intelligence will not eliminate humanity, arguing instead that AI offers a historic opportunity to accelerate human progress and evolution.

“We are living in a generation that is witnessing a historic moment — for the first time, humans can truly begin to evolve with the help of AI,” Tianqiao Chen said in an interview with Caixin.

Chen said the real value of artificial intelligence does not lie in imitating human labor, such as doing household chores or delivering packages, but in expanding humanity’s ability to discover new knowledge.

“The most important role of AI is not to replace people in physical or repetitive tasks,” he said. “Its greatest potential is to help humans explore the unknown and uncover new scientific and intellectual frontiers.”

Chen added that if properly guided, AI could become a tool for enhancing human creativity, problem-solving and scientific discovery, rather than a force that threatens human survival.