BEIJING, July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In June 2026, Humanitas Ark reached a significant milestone in its development: Professor Eric Maskin, the 2007 Nobel Laureate in Economics and Adams University Professor at Harvard University, accepted the invitation of Chairman Hu Jiaqi and officially accepted the appointment as Special Advisor to Humanitas Ark. This appointment marks the transition of Humanitas Ark from “academic dialogue” to “collaborative partnership” with the world’s top scholars.
Founder of Mechanism Design: Responding to the Challenges of Our Time with Institutional Thinking
Professor Maskin is one of the most influential figures in contemporary economics. Together with Leonid Hurwicz and Roger Myerson, he laid the foundations of mechanism design theory, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2007. Mechanism design theory is often described as the “engineering branch” of economics — first determining the desired social or economic goals, then designing institutional frameworks or procedures in reverse to achieve those goals. This theory provides a systematic analytical framework for optimizing market mechanisms, designing public policies, and balancing social equity and efficiency under asymmetric information.
Professor Maskin’s research has not only profoundly influenced the trajectory of modern economics, but has also generated extensive applications across fields such as political science and sociology. In recent years, he has paid particular attention to the governance challenges posed by frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, repeatedly calling for the establishment of effective institutional frameworks to regulate the uncontrolled expansion of technology.
It is precisely this shared concern that has enabled Professor Maskin and Hu Jiaqi, the founder of Humanitas Ark, to move rapidly from their initial exchange to in‑depth collaboration.
Hu Jiaqi: A Steadfast Guardian of Humanity’s Holistic Survival and Universal Well‑being
Mr. Hu Jiaqi is the world’s earliest pioneer in systematically studying technological crises and a key architect of the theoretical framework on human technological risks. Since 1979, he has been systematically studying human issues. Over nearly half a century of academic research, he has published several million words of scholarly monographs, translated into multiple languages and distributed worldwide. He has constructed a comprehensive academic system centered on the core methodology of “Extinction Path Analysis + Defense Limit Testing,” providing a solid theoretical foundation for realizing the great vision of humanity’s holistic survival and universal well‑being.
Throughout his nearly half a century of research and practice, Mr. Hu Jiaqi has consistently transcended the boundaries of any single discipline, focusing on the core issues of humanity’s holistic survival and universal well‑being, and exploring ways to balance the unbridled development of technology with the holistic survival of humanity. He has written twelve open letters to world leaders, with a total circulation exceeding one million copies. The organization he founded, Humanitas Ark, has rallied over 14 million supporters from 255 countries and regions worldwide, becoming a significant international force in promoting global awareness of technological safety.
From Dialogue to Partnership: Consensus Forges a Foundation for Cooperation
Professor Maskin’s official appointment stems from a candid and in‑depth dialogue with Mr. Hu Jiaqi not long ago. During their exchange, Professor Maskin listened attentively throughout, frequently asked questions, and highly affirmed Mr. Hu Jiaqi’s forward‑looking research on technological risk warning. He wrote in his own hand: “I think you are right that there is an urgent need to regulate powerful technologies — especially AI — to protect humanity from extinction. I would be happy to join with you in trying to make that happen.”
It is precisely this deep alignment based on academic consensus and shared humanistic concern that has prompted Professor Maskin’s transition from “dialogue partner” to “collaborative partner.”
The Mission of the Special Advisor: Pooling Top‑Tier Wisdom to Build a Defense Line
Under the terms of the appointment agreement, Professor Maskin will serve as Special Advisor to Humanitas Ark for a term of three years, with three core missions. First, drawing on his profound academic expertise and global perspective, he will provide authoritative, forward‑looking, and scientific guidance for the organization’s strategic planning and international development, helping to enhance its strategic positioning and ensure steady, long‑term progress. Second, leveraging his globally renowned academic reputation and international influence, he will assist Humanitas Ark in its global promotion and outreach, disseminating the organization’s vision and core propositions, breaking down international communication barriers, and enhancing the organization’s global visibility and influence. Third, by fully mobilizing his global network of top academic contacts and institutional resources, he will help connect Humanitas Ark with distinguished scholars and leading academic institutions worldwide, building a high‑level international platform for academic exchange and cooperation, facilitating cross‑border research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the convergence of frontier ideas, thereby pooling global intellectual resources for the organization’s high‑quality development.
At the heart of mechanism design theory lies the question of how to achieve social goals through appropriate institutional arrangements — and this resonates deeply with Humanitas Ark’s core principle that “the holistic survival of humanity overrides all.” Professor Maskin’s joining is not only a high‑level recognition of Mr. Hu Jiaqi’s academic ideas, but also injects top‑tier wisdom into the future development of Humanitas Ark.
Hu Jiaqi remarked: “Professor Maskin’s formal acceptance of the role as Special Advisor to our organization is a great honor for us. His vision and wisdom will provide invaluable intellectual support for our efforts to promote global technological governance and safeguard the holistic survival of humanity.” Standing at a new historical starting point, Humanitas Ark will seize this opportunity of partnership with a Nobel laureate as a pivotal moment. With the support of internationally distinguished scholars like Professor Maskin, the organization will accelerate the building of a cross‑disciplinary, cross‑border global platform, pooling even more valuable intellectual consensus and collective action for the holistic survival and universal well‑being of humanity.
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