Good News | Assistant Professor Xu Qiushi from the School of Design Approved for a 2024 National Social Science Fund Annual Project

On October 15, 2024, the results of the 2024 National Social Science Fund Annual Project  review were released. Assistant Professor Xu Qiushi from the School of Innovation and Creative Design at Southern University of Science and Technology (hereafter referred to as “the School of Design”) was approved for a Youth Project with the awarded research titled “Philosophy of Sound and Ethics of Intelligent Technologies”. This marks the first time the School of Design has secured a National Social Science Fund Annual Project (Youth Project) since its establishment.

The research focuses on the new societal phenomena and ethical issues arising from AI sound technologies in the intelligent era. It employs an interdisciplinary approach involving philosophy of technology, sound studies, and AI ethics, aiming to expand the sonic dimension of technology philosophy and construct an overall taxonomy—or genealogy—of the philosophy of sound in intelligent technologies. The project reinterprets sound, especially the novel sounds produced by intelligent technologies, from a philosophical standpoint.

As intelligent technologies increasingly dominate global development and transform society, the Chinese government strongly supports AI research and applications while also emphasizing the accompanying ethical implications. However, contemporary research often overlooks the critical dimension of sound.

Every intelligent device possesses a sound dimension—either in transmitting information via audio or by generating unavoidable noises. For example, devices such as intelligent robots, communication systems, and service facilities rely on voice-based Human–Computer Interaction; immersive VR/AR experiences depend on unique sound design; and sound design has evolved into a distinct industry integral to intelligent manufacturing and technological innovation. Yet, in human perception, vision often dominates, while hearing remains marginalized. The meanings conveyed by technological sound, its functional impact, and associated issues in cognition and ethics have not received sufficient attention from the humanities and social sciences. This project intends to make an academic contribution by exploring these emerging domains.

Established in 1986, the National Social Science Fund has been China’s principal channel for supporting basic research in the field of social sciences. It provides funding nationwide and primarily targets researchers in universities and academic institutions with strong research capabilities. The Fund emphasizes support for young social science scholars and research in remote and ethnic regions. Its orientation, authority, and exemplary role have become increasingly significant—producing numerous substantive research outcomes and cultivating a generation of rigorous and pioneering academic leaders.

• Faculty Profile

Xu Qiushi is currently an Assistant Professor at the School of Innovation and Creative Design, Southern University of Science and Technology. She is a sound studies scholar, an STS (Science, Technology, and Society) scholar, and a sound curator. Her main research areas include Sound Studies, STS (science, technology, and society), cultural studies, and gender studies. Professor Xu has served as a Junior Fellow of the Honor Society of Humanities and Social Sciences at Southern University of Science and Technology. She obtained her Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science and Technology from Tsinghua University, and was a joint Ph.D. researcher at the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University; she holds a Master’s degree in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College London; a Bachelor’s degree in Recording Arts (Sound Directing) from the Communication University of China, along with a second Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Professor Xu is active in the international STS and sound studies communities, having published several influential papers and organized a number of academic events. Her current research focuses on sound technology, the STS of musical instruments, philosophy of technology and philosophy of design, noise and environmental studies, as well as sound, the body, and medical studies. She is one of the editors-in-chief of the monumental Encyclopedia of Sound Studies (Bloomsbury Publishing PLC). Professor Xu is dedicated to advancing sound studies as an emerging interdisciplinary field. She advocates for research that is interesting, tasteful, humanistic, and socially engaged. At the same time, she also emphasizes writing beyond academic texts, paying attention to popular culture and social life.