Fudan University, Korea University and National University of Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday in Shanghai, to enhance cooperation on artificial intelligence with a shared commitment to a sustainable future through closer academic collaborations.

Presidents of the three notable universities reached a consensus at the second S3 Sustainability Forum on Monday at the Fudan campus in Shanghai. The three institutions, all born in 1905 and located in three major cities starting with the letter "S" — Shanghai, Seoul and Singapore — jointly launched the S3 University Alliance in 2006. Having been engaged in deep and innovative strategic collaboration since its launch, they decided to switch their focus to sustainability in 2024.

With the new MoU signed, the universities are set to establish a framework for the joint supervision of PhD students in the field of sustainability under the S3 Initiative, thus contributing to addressing global sustainability challenges with better application of AI both in education and research.

"Today, we are living through a time of profound transformation. AI for sustainability is reshaping and accelerating the circle of scientific research and activity," said Jin Li, president of Fudan University, at the forum.

Jin pointed out that the sustainable development of humanity is facing multiple challenges, including climate change, inequality and emerging problems along with the development of the society and technologies. In the AI era, traditional research paradigm is also witnessing massive changes with AI serving as a "powerful ally".

He highlighted that AI has given rise to a new data-driven and algorithm-driven research paradigm to uncover new patterns, lower the barriers between fields to promote interdisciplinary research and collaborative problem-solving, and help disseminate knowledge, promote shared values and build consensus for collective action.

Tan Eng Chye, president of the National University of Singapore, and Kim Dong-one, president of Korea University, both shared their insights and experience in AI and sustainability in education, research, innovation and campus operations.

Jin also highlighted Fudan's efforts and achievements in the sustainability sector, particularly the machine-learning based meteorology model Fuxi and China's first large language model (LLM) for climate change, indicating that universities have a unique and irreplaceable role to play in leveraging AI for a sustainable future.

"The world urgently needs a more harmonized and people-oriented development, which rebalances the relationships between humanity, nature, economy and technology. We are more than institutions of learning, we are incubators of talent, and architects of tomorrow's societies," said Jin, adding that Fudan is preparing to establish a Sustainable Development Institute.