On December 22, Professor James J. Heckman, the 2000 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics, the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, and the recipient of the 2019 Chinese Government Friendship Award, visited IESR on the Shipai Campus of Jinan University. This marks the ninth time Professor Heckman has visited IESR, where he has served as the Chair of the Advisory Board since IESR’s foundation in 2015.
In the morning, Professor Heckman delivered a lecture entitled “Adapting, Adopting, and Improving New Technologies” at the International Conference Hall located in Zengxianzi Science Building, with nearly 300 participants on-site. The lecture was hosted by Professor Shuaizhang Feng, Dean of IESR.
Opening Remarks by Professor Shuaizhang Feng
This public lecture was included among the academic activities celebrating Jinan University's 120th anniversary. Professor Naihua Gu, Vice President of Jinan University, delivered a welcome speech.
Welcome Speechby Professor Naihua Gu
Lecture Recap
Next, Professor Heckman shared his research on artificial intelligence.
Approaching the topic through the lens of job tasks, he first outlined the complex impact of AI exposure on employment. He noted that current studies overlook the dynamic evolution of AI adoption and the role of individual choice in this process, relying instead on static models and outdated occupational classifications. This, he argued, could lead to inaccurate conclusions about whether the relationship between humans and machines is one of substitution, replacement, or augmentation. Building on this observation, he proposed the need for a dynamic framework to more accurately measure the restructuring of tasks, the evolution of skills, and the resulting shifts in productivity driven by AI.
Second, Professor Heckman examined the job skills and personality traits requiredin the AI era. Noting that adaptability and flexibility are increasingly critical in AI-related work, he underscored the central importance of executive functions, particularly impulse control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Drawing from his long-term collaborative research with IESR, he further explained that these executive functions serve as strong predictors of children’s academic achievement and long-term developmental potential.
Based on his team's home visit project findings in Gansu Province, Professor Heckman further highlighted that scientific parenting guidance and quality family interactions can significantly enhance children’s socio-emotional capacities. This, in turn, helps cultivate a skilled workforce capable of adapting to rapid technological shifts. To keep pace with the fast-evolving AI landscape, he also urged both society and individuals to embrace a mindset open to trial and error, learning from setbacks, and strengthening adaptability in the face of change.
During the Q&A session that followed, Professor Heckman engaged in insightful discussions with faculty and students on topics including AI’s influence on individual work efficiency and child development.
Dialogue with IESR Students
After the lecture, Professor Heckman had face-to-face discussions with six IESR students. Centering on AI evolution, these student representatives raised questions concerning shifts in employment structures, educational equity, sample selection bias, the digital divide, and empirical research methodology. Drawing on decades of research experience, Professor Heckman shared his perspectives on these issues. In closing, he encouraged theseyoung studentto utilize AI tools effectively, while remaining committed to a problem-oriented approach, consolidating their theoretical foundations, and sustaining keen observation and independent critical thinking about the real world.
A Decade of Partnership
During Professor Heckman’s visit to Jinan University, a series of academic events attracted over 500 faculty members and students. Professor Heckman has maintained close collaboration with IESR over the past decade.
This partnership began in March 2016 with his first visit to IESR, which laid the groundwork for subsequent cooperation with the University of Chicago. Soon after, in June of that year, IESR and the Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group (HCEO) co-organized the first Guangzhou Summer School on Socioeconomic Inequality. Further deepening this collaboration, IESR and the Center for the Economics of Human Development (CEHD) launched the Longitudinal Study of Children’s Development in Mianzhu in September 2016, aimed at measuring the traits, skills, and preferences that shape children’s life outcomes. In July 2018, IESR and CEHD formally co-launched the Chicago-Jinan Joint Initiative on the Study of Human Development, which served as a research home for our students/faculty and visiting scholars from guest institutions. With the strong support of Professor Heckman, IESR looks forward to welcoming more internationally renowned scholars in the future.
