NEWS
President's Letter
- Publish Date：2025-05-02
Does Knowledge Expire?
A professor engaging with AI to collaboratively envision and create future research directions.
(Image credit: Kuan-Yun Chen)
(Image credit: Kuan-Yun Chen)
Narrated by NYCU President Chi-Hung Lin
Interviewed by Yen-Shen Chen
Written by Yen-Chien Lai
Proofread by Yu-An Lu
Interviewed by Yen-Shen Chen
Written by Yen-Chien Lai
Proofread by Yu-An Lu
______
In my previous letter, I asked: How long does the “knowledge” we learn in class remain relevant? There was a time when a university education was believed to provide sufficient knowledge for an entire professional career. However, in today’s rapidly changing world, the pace of knowledge renewal has far exceeded our imagination. Learning no longer ends at graduation—it has become a lifelong journey of continuous growth and adaptation.
When I was studying medicine, the knowledge we acquired in the classrooms could remain valid for 20 years or even longer. At that time, mastering brain surgery or coronary bypass surgery almost guaranteed a stable and prosperous career for a surgeon. Yet today, technology has disrupted and transformed nearly every aspect of the field.
Many traditional neurosurgical procedures have now been replaced by radiation therapy or minimally invasive techniques. Conditions that once required opening the skull can now be treated precisely using technologies like the Gamma Knife. Similarly, the once-celebrated coronary bypass surgeries have primarily been replaced by simpler, faster-recovery procedures such as cardiac stent implantation.
This phenomenon is not limited to medicine—AI technology is rapidly reshaping every field. Skills that software engineers once spent years mastering now require updates every six months. Some even say, "AI today evolves by season, not by year."
The challenge facing education today is clear: the effective lifespan of knowledge has shrunk from 20 years to just 2 years—or even less. As a result, the cultivation of future talents will depend not on what they have learned in school, but on their ability to continue learning after graduation.
Future Learning is Peer Learning
Today’s learners must develop resilience in facing the unknown and the ability to continuously evolve. Knowledge can not only become outdated—it can also become an obstacle, anchoring us to old ways of thinking. I often remind colleagues and students not to let what they know, or their past successes, become a legacy burden.
Now that AI can generate papers and code, offering standardized solutions to most problems, we must ask: Do humans still need to learn? And how should we learn?
I believe that future learning is not about “going faster alone” but about “going farther together.” Teachers are no longer the sole source of knowledge; they are guides and co-learners. Students are not merely competitors; they are collaborators. Moreover, our “learning community” must expand: AI is no longer just a tool—it can be a learning partner, inspiring us and co-creating alongside us.
AI is Also Our Learning Partner
I once heard a senior professor share his experience using ChatGPT. He fed it his entire body of research—decades of work—and asked GPT to help summarize his key research themes and development trajectory. GPT responded with a clear and comprehensive framework and even suggested several new research directions he had never previously considered.
The professor’s eyes lit up. That day, he laughed and said, “GPT knows me better than I know myself.” Yet instead of feeling replaced, he viewed this interaction as an unexpected “dialogue across minds,” allowing him to reflect on his past work and open new possibilities for future research.
This is one possibility for AI as a co-learner: engaging in dialogue with AI to expand our horizons. In the future, effective learning will require the ability to ask meaningful questions, critically analyze information, collaborate across disciplines, and use AI wisely. Only through these skills can we unleash our fullest creative potential.
In my previous letter, I asked: How long does the “knowledge” we learn in class remain relevant? There was a time when a university education was believed to provide sufficient knowledge for an entire professional career. However, in today’s rapidly changing world, the pace of knowledge renewal has far exceeded our imagination. Learning no longer ends at graduation—it has become a lifelong journey of continuous growth and adaptation.
When I was studying medicine, the knowledge we acquired in the classrooms could remain valid for 20 years or even longer. At that time, mastering brain surgery or coronary bypass surgery almost guaranteed a stable and prosperous career for a surgeon. Yet today, technology has disrupted and transformed nearly every aspect of the field.
Many traditional neurosurgical procedures have now been replaced by radiation therapy or minimally invasive techniques. Conditions that once required opening the skull can now be treated precisely using technologies like the Gamma Knife. Similarly, the once-celebrated coronary bypass surgeries have primarily been replaced by simpler, faster-recovery procedures such as cardiac stent implantation.
This phenomenon is not limited to medicine—AI technology is rapidly reshaping every field. Skills that software engineers once spent years mastering now require updates every six months. Some even say, "AI today evolves by season, not by year."
The challenge facing education today is clear: the effective lifespan of knowledge has shrunk from 20 years to just 2 years—or even less. As a result, the cultivation of future talents will depend not on what they have learned in school, but on their ability to continue learning after graduation.
Future Learning is Peer Learning
Today’s learners must develop resilience in facing the unknown and the ability to continuously evolve. Knowledge can not only become outdated—it can also become an obstacle, anchoring us to old ways of thinking. I often remind colleagues and students not to let what they know, or their past successes, become a legacy burden.
Now that AI can generate papers and code, offering standardized solutions to most problems, we must ask: Do humans still need to learn? And how should we learn?
I believe that future learning is not about “going faster alone” but about “going farther together.” Teachers are no longer the sole source of knowledge; they are guides and co-learners. Students are not merely competitors; they are collaborators. Moreover, our “learning community” must expand: AI is no longer just a tool—it can be a learning partner, inspiring us and co-creating alongside us.
AI is Also Our Learning Partner
I once heard a senior professor share his experience using ChatGPT. He fed it his entire body of research—decades of work—and asked GPT to help summarize his key research themes and development trajectory. GPT responded with a clear and comprehensive framework and even suggested several new research directions he had never previously considered.
The professor’s eyes lit up. That day, he laughed and said, “GPT knows me better than I know myself.” Yet instead of feeling replaced, he viewed this interaction as an unexpected “dialogue across minds,” allowing him to reflect on his past work and open new possibilities for future research.
This is one possibility for AI as a co-learner: engaging in dialogue with AI to expand our horizons. In the future, effective learning will require the ability to ask meaningful questions, critically analyze information, collaborate across disciplines, and use AI wisely. Only through these skills can we unleash our fullest creative potential.
Learning will no longer be confined to “human-to-human” interactions; it will extend to “human-to-human, human-to-machine, and machine-to-machine” co-learning and co-creation. This dynamic will be essential for fostering deep learning and cultivating innovative thinking.
At NYCU, we are progressively promoting the concepts of Peer Learning and Co-Learning Spaces, where students engage in discussion, debate, and challenge each other’s ideas. With the assistance of AI in analysis and content generation, we are not only deepening understanding but also accelerating the breadth, depth, speed, and creativity of learning.
Such transformative capabilities cannot be achieved through solitary effort alone.
Knowledge Has an Expiry Date; Learning Does Not
To foster and practice lifelong learning, we established the Tribute Academy in 2024. This academy does not grant degrees; instead, it restores learning to its core essence—exploration, sharing, participation, and contribution.
The name “Tribute Academy” is inspired by the ancient “tribute examination” system, symbolizing respect and dedication to knowledge. At the Academy, mid-to-late career individuals return to campus to learn and co-create alongside young students. They transform the wisdom and experience accumulated over their careers into new knowledge, integrating with courses on the latest advancements in technology, humanities, and health. This process sustains their passion for learning and embodies the spirit of “learning for life, contributing for life.”
We envision the Tribute Academy as a space where learning knows no age limits. Here, learners combine their experiences with societal needs, continuing to make an impact. It is not merely a learning environment—it is a platform for generational exchange, cross-disciplinary exploration, and a new model of social engagement.
As the pace of knowledge renewal accelerates, learning itself must become endless. The most essential skill of the future will not be how much knowledge you can memorize, but your habit and capacity for lifelong exploration.
I often say, “The knowledge we learn today may be obsolete in five years, but the learning methods we master today will last a lifetime.”
This is the true core of learning—not merely preparing for exams or accumulating static knowledge, but cultivating the ability to renew and reinvent ourselves continuously. While we may not be able to predict the future of careers, we can prepare ourselves with the mindset that we are ready to start anew at any moment. Those with this ability will never be left behind, no matter how the world evolves.
What schools can offer is not a backpack filled with static knowledge, but a key that unlocks the world of knowledge. This key might be the ability to think critically, to learn across disciplines, or simply the courage to keep learning and embrace change.
Indeed, knowledge may expire, but learning never does. May we all continue to nurture the ability to learn, adapting to the ever-changing tides of knowledge.
President of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University,
Related Image(s)：
