The Northern California Taiwan Forum and the Northern California Taiwan School Association will jointly host the “Taiwan Homeland Care Symposium – You Came from your Homeland, You Should Know about Your Homeland” on Sunday, April 5th at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center. Conducted in Chinese, the event is free to attend. The organizers invite members of the overseas Taiwanese community and young Taiwanese-Americans to actively participate, aiming to enhance awareness and prevention capabilities regarding AI information warfare.
The symposium will focus on two main themes, including a brief overview of “Taiwanese Mother Tongue Promotion” and “Taiwan’s Cognitive Siege – China’s Information Warfare? Political and Ideological Extremism.” The goal is to assist overseas Taiwanese and the community in understanding the changing information environment in the AI era, learning to distinguish between true and false information, and enhancing media literacy. Co-organizers include the Taiwan Homeland Care Association, the San Francisco Bay Area Friends of Taiwan, and the San Francisco Bay Area Support Group for President Tsai Ing-wen.
Li Hanwen, the total convener of the Northern California Taiwan Forum and president of the Northern California Taiwan School Association and a member of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Advisory Committee, stated to Epoch Times that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has rapidly advanced and is considered the most crucial “global industrial revolution” of the modern era, fundamentally changing the operation modes of human society. The applications of AI are wide-ranging, encompassing academic research, economic development, cultural innovation, technology industries, national defense security, space exploration, and everyday life applications.
She pointed out that AI is a double-edged sword, promoting civilization, enhancing industrial efficiency and innovation capabilities on one hand, but also bringing risks of unemployment, virtualization of life, information chaos, and even fraud and cognitive manipulation, posing threats to people’s financial and psychological security.
Li Hanwen emphasized that China has matured significantly in using AI for information and cognitive warfare. Currently, AI technology is widely used to create short videos, message content, and propaganda materials, blending real and false information through algorithms, making it difficult for the audience to discern truth from falsehood, thereby influencing their judgment and cognition. She further indicated that such operations have spread globally through online platforms, especially targeting Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities, conducting long-term and covert cognitive penetration that affects public opinion, potentially shaping people’s values, and even impacting social stability and political development.
To assist the community in enhancing their discernment capabilities, the symposium has specially invited Dr. Stan Kwiatkowski, host of the Taiwan YouTube channel “Newsworthy | Freedom Is Not Free,” to speak. As a political analyst and media commentator, Dr. Stan has long focused on Taiwan’s security, Taiwan-US relations, and Chinese influence actions, holding a Doctorate in Human Rights from the University of Sussex in the UK, researching topics such as political mobilization of overseas migrants, symbolic power, and algorithmic propaganda. Dr. Stan frequently interviews policymakers, scholars, and security experts in the United States and Europe, with his channel having over 300,000 subscribers.
Date: Sunday, April 5th, check-in at 1:30 PM; event from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Location: South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center, First Floor Multipurpose Hall (100 S. Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas, CA)
1. Brief Overview of Taiwanese Mother Tongue Promotion: Presentation by Professor Yu Boquan for 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of questions and discussions.
2. Taiwan’s Cognitive Siege – China’s Information Warfare: Political and Ideological Extremism: Dr. Stan Kwiatkowski’s keynote speech for 60 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of questions and discussions.
The organizers will provide light refreshments and welcome attendees to make small donations to the speakers during the intermission at their discretion.
To register, please contact Overseas Chinese Affairs Advisory Committee member Cathy Li Hanwen via text message at 408-442-2259. When registering, please provide your name, contact number, and email address.