AI Must Be Understood While Serving

In a recent interview with Science and Technology Daily, Professor Lena Halounová, president of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), was adamant that from the outset, AI, while powerful, must be handled with care.

The need for AI governance and public understanding

Halounová described AI as a complex field that brings together enormous amounts of software, mathematics, and data, too big for a single person to process. However, she cautioned that data selection is critical, because choosing the wrong data will inevitably lead to poor results. "AI is a fantastic tool," she said, "but our personal role stays at the highest level." She gave an example of a student who chose good data but failed to realize that its spatial resolution was too rough for his specific purposes, leading to inaccurate results.

This emphasis on responsibility led to the broader question of AI governance. Halounová acknowledged that while AI can bring enormous benefits, it also risks harming humanity if not properly governed. In this regard, she noted that China has been actively participating in global AI governance and building international consensus. She sees China as an "incredibly wide market of knowledge, technology, and human resources." In Halounová's opinion, China's highest priority should be to go global, offer cooperation, and invite international scientists and students to work together, something China is already doing, as evidenced by the many tech-related conferences that attract people from around the world.

Looking ahead to China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Halounová admitted it was difficult to predict how far China's science and technology would develop, given the rapid trajectory it is on. However, she recommended that not only China but all countries should create a "white public area" to explain what AI means and how the public should understand the limits of new technological results. Without such understanding, people cannot know what kind of data or methodology produces a given result, and therefore cannot grasp its limitations.

From governance, the conversation shifted seamlessly to international cooperation. When asked which areas of science and technology hold the greatest potential for collaboration, Halounová gave a surprising answer: psychology.

She explained that understanding each other and finding a common language, not English specifically, but a shared way of communicating, is fundamental. "If you just follow films (about a country), you have no idea how the people live there, what their habits are, and what they eat for breakfast," she said. Without that understanding, behavior can be misinterpreted, and cooperation suffers. Halounová stressed that personal meetings and people-to-people exchanges are the basic part of future cooperation, because when people rely on each other, much more can be achieved together than separately.

A long-standing partnership with China

Turning to her organization's long-standing relationship with China, Halounová confirmed that ISPRS has been working with Chinese experts since the 1980s, and the collaboration is solid. She noted that in every four-year period, there have always been Chinese experts in their groups. Currently, the secretary general of ISPRS comes from China, along with many working group officers and the Technical Commission president.

She also highlighted that China was the first country to provide ISPRS members with free satellite data, available for download from a public website. When asked about new innovations in remote sensing and GIS to support digital earth and sustainable development, she acknowledged that it is difficult to pinpoint what is "new" because remote sensing data has undergone extensive development. Today, the wide variety of data types with different spatial and spectral resolutions allows scientists to focus on specific topics with higher accuracy.

She also emphasized the need for strategic planning: different applications require different data collection frequencies. Such strategies should be planned and budgeted accordingly.

Encouraging the next generation

Throughout the interview, Halounová repeatedly circled back to the importance of nurturing the next generation. When asked for a message to China's youth, she described remote sensing as a fantastic opportunity, because it deals with data about the Earth's surface and what lies underground.

Halounová encouraged young people to choose how they want to relate to this field, whether by collecting data, processing it, or using it for further applications. "[Ask yourself] what do you want more?" she asked.

Having visited both the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping in Beijing and Wuhan University, she concluded that China is "at the top of the world as far as remote sensing data processing, data collection, and data storage," adding that "you always have to [have people] exchanges, otherwise you will stay isolated." Exchange is beneficial in every sphere because everyone knows something different and holds different opinions. Through discussion, people can move forward together, which is how she sees the process.

Halounová believes that sincerity, whether in AI governance, international cooperation, or mentoring young scientists, is what makes all the difference. For a field as technical as remote sensing, her message was remarkably simple: technology serves people, but only people can truly understand people.

Source: Science and Technology Daily