作为深耕人工智能领域的研究者，求学路上的每一次远行，都是视野的拓宽，更是学术灵感的滋养。在我到访过的众多国家中，英国之行尤为特别——它既有千年沉淀的古典人文底蕴，又有走在前沿的科技活力，让我在剑河垂柳与学术讲堂之间，在哥特建筑与AI前沿分享之中，收获了一场人文与学术的双向奔赴，也为我的科研之路注入了全新力量。
此次英国之行，我的脚步主要停留在剑桥、牛津两座学术名城与伦敦这座国际化大都市。不同于其他旅行的走马观花，这段旅程更像是一场“学术探秘”，我带着对人工智能领域前沿动态的好奇，走进这座充满智慧的国度，在感受异域文化魅力的同时，也不放过任何一次与顶尖学者交流、汲取学术养分的机会。
剑桥的静谧，是刻在骨子里的温柔与学术从容，更藏着英国人内敛又温润的人文底色。初到剑桥，剑河便给了我最直观的震撼，清澈的河水穿城而过，十几座造型各异的石桥连接着两岸的学院与田园——叹息桥的古朴、数学桥的精巧，每一座桥都承载着专属的故事，诉说着这座小城的千年时光。垂柳依依，碧草如茵，偶尔有撑篙的青年学子泛舟河面，轻声交谈间不见喧哗，尽显英式优雅；岸边的长椅上，常有老人捧着书卷静坐，阳光洒在他们身上，与周遭的古建、绿意融为一体，自带一种诗意的慵懒。那一刻，我终于读懂了徐志摩《再别康桥》中“轻轻的我走了，正如我轻轻的来”的眷恋，也真切体会到，这座被称为“诗城”的城市，为何能孕育出无数顶尖学者与突破性科研成果。街头巷尾，随处可见挂着铜制铭牌的老店铺，售卖着手工书签、复古文具，店主大多温和有礼，交谈间会耐心讲述每一件物品的由来；傍晚时分，街角的小酒馆亮起暖黄的灯光，当地人三五成群围坐在一起，点一杯英式 ale，低声闲谈，没有喧嚣的喧闹，只有岁月静好的松弛，这份远离尘嚣的静谧与温润，正是学术深耕最珍贵的土壤，也是剑桥人文最动人的模样。
于我而言，剑桥的魅力，更在于它将古典底蕴与前沿学术完美融合。在剑桥停留期间，我有幸旁听了一场人工智能主题的学术讲座，主讲人Pietro教授深耕强化学习领域多年，他的分享既有对现有深度学习模型优化痛点的精准剖析，也有对未来AI技术发展方向的大胆预判。尤其是他提到的“AI技术不应只追求技术突破，更要兼顾普惠性与伦理性”，与我目前专注的人工智能伦理与安全研究不谋而合。讲座结束后，我鼓起勇气与教授交流了自己在科研中遇到的困惑，他耐心的点拨的同时，还推荐了诸多前沿研究文献，让我对自己的研究方向有了更清晰的认知。此外，我还漫步于“诗人之路”，在Trinity College的图书馆旁驻足，指尖拂过古老的建筑墙面，仿佛能触摸到千百年来沉淀的学术气息，也更加明白，学术研究从来不是一蹴而就，而是需要代代传承、久久为功。
如果说剑桥的学术氛围是静谧从容的，那么牛津的学术气息则更为厚重深邃，其人文底蕴藏在每一座学院的方庭与街头的烟火气中。作为拥有近千年历史的学府，牛津的学院制让每一座学院都有着独特的文化底蕴与学术特色，哥特式建筑矗立在阳光下，尖顶直指苍穹，古老的方庭、斑驳的墙壁，都在诉说着这座学府的千年沧桑，而学院门口穿着黑袍的学子，步履匆匆却不失优雅，延续着牛津百年的学术礼仪。不同于剑桥的温润，牛津的人文更显庄重与坚守，街头的石板路被岁月磨得光滑，两旁的建筑依旧保留着中世纪的风貌，没有过多现代化的修饰，却处处透着时光的厚重。此次到访恰逢牛津大学赛德商学院举办人工智能前沿论坛，我有幸参与其中，聆听了多位顶尖学者的分享，其中副院长关于“AI在多领域的创新应用与发展瓶颈”的讲解，让我受益匪浅。论坛间隙，我穿梭在牛津的街巷，偶遇一场小型的古典音乐会，艺人抱着小提琴在街角演奏，琴声悠扬，路过的行人纷纷驻足聆听，结束后轻声鼓掌，没有喧哗的喝彩，只有恰到好处的敬意；路边的书店摆满了古籍与现代著作，推门而入便能闻到纸张与油墨的清香，店员会主动推荐贴合当地文化的书籍，一言一行间都透着对知识的敬畏。他分享的团队最新研究成果，尤其是AI在跨模态学习领域的实践案例，为我正在参与的科研项目提供了宝贵的参考，也让我意识到，不同学术背景下的思维碰撞，往往能催生全新的创新灵感，而这份灵感，也离不开牛津厚重人文底蕴的滋养。
牛津的课堂的氛围，更让我感受到了中西方学术教育的差异。不同于国内的讲授式教学，牛津的课堂更注重讨论与思辨，老师抛出问题后，鼓励每一位参与者大胆表达自己的观点，哪怕是不同的质疑与反驳，也能得到充分的尊重与探讨。在一场小组讨论中，我与来自世界各地的学子围绕“AI伦理的边界与规范”展开交流，不同文化背景下的思考角度让我开阔了思路，也让我深刻认识到，人工智能的发展是全球性的课题，需要各国学者携手合作、共同探索。课后，我常穿梭于牛津的方庭之间，听街头艺人吟唱民谣，看阳光透过树叶洒下斑驳的光影，这种古典与现代的交融，让我对学术研究有了更包容的理解——科研既要脚踏实地、深耕前沿，也要懂得在人文底蕴中汲取力量，才能走得更远、更稳。
离开两座学术名城，伦敦的多元与包容则给了我另一种震撼，这座国际化大都市将古典庄重与现代活力、本土风情与全球文化完美交融，藏着最鲜活的英国人文。作为一座国际化大都市，伦敦既有白金汉宫、大本钟的古典庄重——白金汉宫前的皇家卫队换岗仪式，士兵们穿着鲜红的制服、戴着黑色的熊皮帽，步伐整齐划一，动作精准利落，每一个细节都彰显着英国皇家的仪式感，围观的人群有序驻足，轻声交谈，既充满好奇，又保持着恰当的距离，尽显英式礼仪；也有充满科技感的现代建筑，碎片大厦的前卫与伦敦塔桥的复古交相辉映，构成了独特的城市天际线。街头巷尾随处可见不同肤色、不同文化背景的人们，多元的文化在这里碰撞融合，却又显得格外和谐——伦敦东区的复古市集，摆满了手工饰品、特色小吃，摊主热情地介绍着本土美食，炸鱼薯条的香气弥漫在空气中，这是最具英国特色的烟火气；西区的剧院街，随处可见拿着节目单的行人，莎士比亚戏剧的海报张贴在街头，夜晚时分，剧院亮起灯光，一场场经典剧目轮番上演，延续着英国的戏剧文化底蕴。我利用空闲时间参观了伦敦的科技展馆，其中“AI与人文融合”展区让我印象尤为深刻，这里展示了AI技术在文化传承、艺术创作等领域的应用，让我深刻意识到，AI技术的发展从来不是孤立的，它离不开人文的滋养，负责任的AI发展，不仅需要技术的突破，更需要兼顾不同文化背景下的需求，让技术真正惠及每一个人。此外，伦敦街头的细节也让我倍感温暖，洁净的街道、有序的秩序，人们之间的礼貌与包容，见面时轻声道一句“Good day”，排队时自觉保持距离，这份刻在骨子里的礼仪与包容，都让我明白，真正的国际化视野，不仅是了解不同的学术思想，更是学会尊重与包容不同的文化与生活方式，而这，也是伦敦人文最珍贵的特质。
此次英国之行，短短数日，却成为我求学路上最珍贵的回忆。我不仅领略了英国的古典人文之美，感受了多元文化的魅力，更在与顶尖学者、国际学子的交流中，汲取了先进的学术理念，解决了科研中的诸多困惑，也更加坚定了我在人工智能领域深耕的决心。作为一名AI研究者，我深知，学术之路没有边界，唯有保持开放的心态，不断走出去、多交流、多学习，才能在前沿领域做出有意义的贡献。
如今，回到校园，重新投入到科研工作中，英国之行的所见所闻、所思所感，依然在不断激励着我。那些在剑桥讲堂上的顿悟，在牛津方庭中的思考，在伦敦街头的感悟，都已成为我科研与人生路上的宝贵财富，指引着我不断前行，努力在人工智能领域探索更多可能，用技术创新传递温度，用学术坚守书写担当。
As a researcher focusing on the field of artificial intelligence, every journey during my academic career is not only an expansion of my horizons but also a nourishment of academic inspiration. Among the many countries I have visited, the trip to the UK is particularly special—it has both a thousand-year-old classical humanistic heritage and cutting-edge technological vitality. Between the willows by the River Cam and the academic lecture halls, between Gothic architecture and cutting-edge AI sharing, I gained a two-way encounter between humanity and academia, and injected new strength into my research path.
During this trip to the UK, my steps mainly stayed in the two academic cities of Cambridge and Oxford, and the international metropolis of London. Different from the superficial travel of rushing from one place to another, this journey was more like an "academic exploration". With curiosity about the cutting-edge trends in the field of artificial intelligence, I walked into this country full of wisdom. While feeling the charm of exotic cultures, I also seized every opportunity to communicate with top scholars and absorb academic nutrients.
The tranquility of Cambridge is the inherent tenderness and academic calmness, and it also hides the introverted and warm humanistic background of the British people. When I first arrived in Cambridge, the River Cam gave me the most intuitive shock. The clear river runs through the city, and more than a dozen stone bridges of various shapes connect the colleges and countryside on both banks—the simplicity of the Bridge of Sighs and the delicacy of the Mathematical Bridge, each bridge carries its own story, telling the thousand-year history of this small town. Willows sway gently, and the grass is as green as a blanket. Occasionally, young students punting on the river talk softly without noise, showing British elegance to the fullest; on the benches by the bank, there are often old people sitting quietly with books in their hands, and the sun shines on them, blending with the surrounding ancient buildings and greenery, bringing a poetic laziness. At that moment, I finally understood the nostalgia in Xu Zhimo's "Farewell Again to Cambridge"—"Very quietly I take my leave, As quietly as I came here", and truly realized why this city, known as the "poetic city", can nurture countless top scholars and groundbreaking research achievements. On the streets, old shops with copper nameplates can be seen everywhere, selling hand-made bookmarks and retro stationery. Most of the shopkeepers are gentle and polite, and will patiently tell the origin of each item during the conversation; in the evening, the small pubs on the street corners light up warm yellow lights, and local people sit around in small groups, ordering a glass of English ale and chatting in low voices, without noisy commotion, only the relaxation of a peaceful life. This tranquility and warmth away from the hustle and bustle is the most precious soil for in-depth academic research, and also the most touching appearance of Cambridge's humanities.
For me, the charm of Cambridge lies more in its perfect integration of classical heritage and cutting-edge academia. During my stay in Cambridge, I was fortunate to attend an academic lecture on artificial intelligence. The speaker, Professor Pietro, has been deeply engaged in the field of reinforcement learning for many years. His sharing not only made a precise analysis of the pain points in the optimization of existing deep learning models but also made bold predictions about the future development direction of AI technology. In particular, his view that "AI technology should not only pursue technological breakthroughs but also balance inclusiveness and ethics" coincided with my current research focus on AI ethics and security. After the lecture, I mustered up the courage to communicate with the professor about the puzzles I encountered in my research. While he patiently gave guidance, he also recommended many cutting-edge research literatures, making me have a clearer understanding of my research direction. In addition, I also wandered along the "Poet's Road" and stopped beside the library of Trinity College. Touching the ancient building walls with my fingers, I seemed to be able to feel the academic atmosphere accumulated over thousands of years, and also understood more deeply that academic research is never achieved overnight, but requires intergenerational inheritance and long-term persistence.
If the academic atmosphere of Cambridge is quiet and calm, then the academic atmosphere of Oxford is more profound and profound, and its humanistic heritage is hidden in the quadrangles of each college and the fireworks on the streets. As a university with a history of nearly a thousand years, Oxford's college system gives each college a unique cultural heritage and academic characteristics. Gothic buildings stand in the sun, with spires pointing directly at the sky. The ancient quads and mottled walls are telling the thousand-year-old vicissitudes of this university. The students wearing black gowns at the college gates walk in a hurry but remain elegant, continuing Oxford's centuries-old academic etiquette. Different from Cambridge's warmth, Oxford's humanities are more solemn and persistent. The stone slabs on the streets are polished smooth by time, and the buildings on both sides still retain the style of the Middle Ages, without too many modern decorations, but full of the weight of time. During this visit, I happened to attend a cutting-edge AI forum held by Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. I was fortunate to participate in it and listened to the sharing of many top scholars. Among them, the vice dean's explanation on "the innovative application and development bottleneck of AI in various fields" benefited me a lot. During the interval of the forum, I wandered through the streets and alleys of Oxford and encountered a small classical concert. An artist played the violin on the street corner, and the melodious sound of the violin made passers-by stop to listen. After the performance, they applauded softly, without noisy cheers, only the right respect; the bookstores by the road are full of ancient books and modern works, and you can smell the fragrance of paper and ink when you push the door in. The clerks will take the initiative to recommend books that fit the local culture, and every word and deed shows reverence for knowledge. The latest research results of his team shared, especially the practical cases of AI in the field of cross-modal learning, provided valuable references for the research projects I am currently participating in, and also made me realize that the collision of thinking under different academic backgrounds can often spawn new innovative inspirations, and this inspiration is also inseparable from the nourishment of Oxford's profound humanistic heritage.
The classroom atmosphere in Oxford made me feel the difference between Chinese and Western academic education. Different from the lecture-based teaching in China, Oxford's classrooms pay more attention to discussion and speculation. After the teacher puts forward a question, every participant is encouraged to express their views boldly. Even different doubts and refutations can get full respect and discussion. In a group discussion, I exchanged views with students from all over the world on "the boundary and norms of AI ethics". The thinking angles under different cultural backgrounds broadened my mind, and also made me deeply realize that the development of artificial intelligence is a global issue that requires scholars from all countries to cooperate and explore together. After class, I often wandered between Oxford's quads, listening to street artists singing ballads, and watching the sunlight casting dappled light and shadow through the leaves. This integration of classical and modern made me have a more inclusive understanding of academic research—scientific research not only needs to be down-to-earth and in-depth in the frontiers but also needs to learn to draw strength from humanistic heritage to go further and more steadily.
Leaving the two academic cities, the diversity and inclusiveness of London gave me another kind of shock. This international metropolis perfectly integrates classical dignity with modern vitality, local customs with global culture, hiding the most vivid British humanities. As an international metropolis, London has both the classical dignity of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben—the Changing of the Guard ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace, where soldiers wear bright red uniforms and black bearskin hats, marching in neat steps and making precise movements. Every detail shows the sense of ritual of the British royal family. The onlookers stop in an orderly manner and talk softly, full of curiosity but maintaining an appropriate distance, showing British etiquette to the fullest; it also has modern buildings full of a sense of technology. The avant-garde of The Shard and the retro of Tower Bridge complement each other, forming a unique urban skyline. People of different skin colors and cultural backgrounds can be seen everywhere on the streets. Diverse cultures collide and integrate here, but they seem particularly harmonious—the retro market in East London is full of hand-made jewelry and characteristic snacks. The stall owners enthusiastically introduce local delicacies, and the aroma of fish and chips fills the air, which is the most distinctive British fireworks; on Theatreland in the West End, passers-by holding playbills can be seen everywhere. Posters of Shakespeare's plays are posted on the streets. In the evening, the theaters light up, and classic plays are staged one after another, continuing the British theatrical cultural heritage. I took the free time to visit London's science and technology exhibition halls. Among them, the "Integration of AI and Humanities" exhibition area impressed me deeply. It showed the application of AI technology in cultural inheritance, artistic creation and other fields, making me deeply realize that the development of AI technology is never isolated. It cannot be separated from the nourishment of humanities. The responsible development of AI requires not only technological breakthroughs but also consideration of the needs under different cultural backgrounds, so that technology can truly benefit everyone. In addition, the details on the streets of London also made me feel warm. The clean streets, orderly order, and the politeness and inclusiveness between people—greeting each other with a soft "Good day" when meeting, and consciously keeping a distance when queuing. This inherent etiquette and inclusiveness made me understand that a truly international perspective is not only about understanding different academic ideas but also about learning to respect and tolerate different cultures and lifestyles, which is also the most precious trait of London's humanities.
This trip to the UK, though only a few days, has become the most precious memory in my academic career. I not only appreciated the classical humanistic beauty of the UK and felt the charm of diverse cultures but also absorbed advanced academic concepts through communication with top scholars and international students, solved many puzzles in my research, and became more determined to delve into the field of artificial intelligence. As an AI researcher, I deeply understand that there is no boundary in the academic road. Only by maintaining an open mind, constantly going out, communicating more and learning more, can we make meaningful contributions in the frontiers.
Now, returning to the campus and re-engaging in research work, what I saw, heard, thought and felt during the UK trip still continue to inspire me. Those insights in the Cambridge lecture halls, the thoughts in the Oxford quads, and the perceptions on the streets of London have all become precious wealth in my research and life, guiding me to move forward continuously, striving to explore more possibilities in the field of artificial intelligence, convey warmth with technological innovation, and write responsibility with academic perseverance.