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Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme Seminar – Socrates vs. AI: Reviving Critical Inquiry for Humanistic Higher Education

Teaching Exchange Fellowship Scheme TEFS

Event Details

Date : 12 May 2026 (Tue)

Time : 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS 321, 3/F, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Speaker : Prof. Haochen Sun, Professor, Faculty of Law, HKU

Facilitator : Prof. Luke Fryer, Assistant Director, TALIC, HKU

Abstract

Can an ancient teaching method help us navigate the age of artificial intelligence? This talk explores the enduring relevance of the Socratic method in today’s university classrooms. It begins by unpacking the core of Socratic pedagogy: an interactive, question-driven approach that champions active critical thinking over passive listening. While traditionally rooted in law schools to help students dissect complex cases and challenge assumptions, this method is uniquely suited to modern educational challenges. In an era where AI can instantly generate information and basic analysis, Socratic teaching acts as a vital counterbalance. It fosters the skills AI cannot replicate—creative judgment, ethical discernment, and deep interpersonal dialogue—ultimately preserving the humanistic heart of higher education.

About the Speaker

Prof. Haochen Sun is Professor of Law and Director of the Program on Artificial Intelligence and the Law at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law. An expert in intellectual property, technology law, and Chinese law, Professor Sun has examined a wide range of theoretical issues at the intersection of law, philosophy, and technology. His monograph, Technology and the Public Interest (Cambridge University Press, 2022), offers a new theoretical framework for protecting the right to technology and enforcing technology companies’ fundamental responsibilities. His expert opinions on law and technology have appeared in major media outlets, such as BBC News, CNN, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He is also an Affiliated Fellow at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project and has also held visiting professorships at several U.S. law schools, including serving as an International Visiting Professor at Columbia Law School in 2023.

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