Queen Mary Vice-President at World Digital Education Conference in China

Organised by the Ministry of Education of China and Zhejiang Provincial Government, the conference brought together ministers, diplomats, university leaders, researchers and industry representatives from around the world to explore the future of digital education and global collaboration. 

This year’s conference theme, “AI + Education: Transformation, Development, Governance”, focused on how AI can drive systemic educational transformation, support high-quality educational development, and foster an inclusive, secure and sustainable framework for global governance. It provided a platform for international institutions to exchange ideas on digital innovation, educational access and the future role of AI in higher education, reinforcing the importance of global collaboration in addressing shared challenges and opportunities. 

In his address, Professor Wang reflected on the growing impact of AI across higher education: “AI is transforming higher education across the globe, creating new opportunities for research, teaching and international collaboration. Universities have a responsibility not only to adapt to this change, but to help shape how it is used ethically, inclusively and collaboratively. I am proud that at Queen Mary, we are embedding AI in all aspects of University life, ensuring that our students graduate with the skills required to be future workforce leaders.” 

In his presentation, Professor Wang showcased Queen Mary’s approach to embedding AI across the institution’s teaching and learning, professional services and research. He outlined that to achieve the University’s ambition of becoming truly AI-enabled by 2028, Queen Mary has established a cross-university AI Steering Group, which Professor Wang chairs.  

He reflected on Queen Mary’s ability to convene different organisations and sectors to discuss and debate the uses and impact of AI technology, highlighting that the University co-hosted the 2024 annual Global MOOC & Online Education Conference in partnership with Tsinghua University and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and in 2025, co-hosted the world’s first Children’s AI summit.  

He also highlighted Queen Mary’s longstanding transnational education partnerships with universities in Beijing, Nanchang, Xi’an and Hainan, which have been in place for more than two decades and now support over 6,000 students in China.