“Philosophical Thinking on Internet Development: A Dialogue between Internet Pioneers” Session Held

On December 17, the “Philosophical Thinking on Internet Development: A Dialogue between Internet Pioneers” session of the 2nd World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit was held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. Co-organized by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) and the Secretariat of the Advisory Committee for State Informationization, this session brought together heavyweight guests such as internet pioneers from China and abroad, inductees of the Internet Hall of Fame and internet giants to share philosophical thinking on the Internet from its debut to its evolution. It was broadcast on TV in the Dialogue program of the Financial Channel of China Central Television. 

As a sub-forum of the Forum on Internet Culture and Communication, the session served as an international exchange platform in line with the internet spirit of “openness, equality, collaboration and sharing”. It brought together foreign dignitaries such as Robert Elliot Kahn, Father of Internet, Werner Zorn, Father of German’s Internet, Paul Vixie, Father of Domain Name Software, and George Sadowsky, Director of ICANN, as well as Chinese internet celebrities such as Qian Hualin, one of China’s internet pioneers and　member of China Internet Museum’s Expert Committee, Zhou Hongren, Executive Deputy Director of the Advisory Committee for State Informationization, and Lei Jun, Chairman of Xiaomi, a leading Chinese internet company. Together, these internet pioneers shared their thinking on the past, present and future of internet, arousing resonance and reflections on internet development among the audience. 

The session reviewed the relations of “Father of Internet” Robert Elliot Kahn with China’s internet industry, presented the significant changes in the development process of internet such as the exponential growth of internet users, diverse network applications, and the rapid development of internet economy, discussed the transition from quantitative change to qualitative change of internet development, and fully recognized the enormous energy of internet which has brought significant changes to social progress and people’s life. Robert Elliot Kahn described the internet as “amazing”, for the internet has not only influenced the communication sector but also contributed to global prosperity. 

While the internet has brought profound changes to the human society, the internet technology has remarkable influence on the traditional manufacturing industry. Guests present at the session acknowledged the infinite possibilities of smart manufacturing brought by the internet. From a technological perspective, Robert Elliot Kahn said that software protocols could reshape the entire manufacturing system, making it smarter. He also commended the efforts that the Chinese government has made in supporting the R&D and long-term investments in this regard. Research fellow Qian Hualin said that manufacturing industries had started to use the internet technology to improve productivity and devise products from a broader perspective. 

Although the internet has driven industrial transformation, advanced cultural prosperity, boosted innovation and entrepreneurship and changed our way of life, there are also many concerns and variations. Cyber security, network privacy, cyber crime and other challenges have inevitably constituted threats to internet users. Therefore, how to make good use of the energy of the internet and build a safe and clear cyberspace has become the focus of discussions. With enormous changes brought by the internet mindset, the future of the internet age will be accompanied with both creativity and uncertainties. As witnesses of and participants in the development of the internet, guests at the session shared their vision and expectations for the future of the internet.