"When it comes to statistics, people may first think of the statistics department. As early as the Warring States Period, Shang Yang emphasized the importance of 'examining numbers' and proposed that the reform effort must master the statistics of grain reserves, population, livestock and other national strength." At the Third National Joint Conference on Statistics and Data Science held from July 11 to 13, Chen Songxi, an academician of the CAS Member and a chair professor of the Department of Statistics and Data Science of Tsinghua University, told reporters that statistics is not only used for government statistics, but also widely used in business, medicine, engineering, social science and other fields. It takes data as the research object, studying data collection, analysis, reasoning, etc. Data science is "statistics+application scenarios". This joint conference was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, inviting experts and scholars from 21 countries and regions to participate, with over 600 academic presentations. Nearly a quarter of the academic report topics are related to machine learning and artificial intelligence. According to the "Artificial Intelligence Development Report (2024)" released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, artificial intelligence faces challenges such as insufficient interpretability of algorithm models, security vulnerabilities in frameworks, and non-standard data labeling. Chen Songxi believes that at present, the specific applications of artificial intelligence are still relatively engineering oriented, prioritizing the operation of algorithms and models, and not delving deeply into the underlying mechanisms. Especially in fields such as medicine and construction engineering that require high precision and safety, the stability and reliability of algorithm models should be ensured. Chen Songxi introduced that the data is random and the model itself is also changing. Considering the uncertainty of data, under the setting of ultra-high dimensional parameters, finding invariant content from changes, summarizing and interpreting, and obtaining stable and interpretable algorithms, statistics can contribute in this regard. His team is conducting relevant research. In the era of intelligence, massive and complex data has become a key factor driving the development of various industries, and the academic community is paying increasing attention to the issue of cultivating statistical talents. Statistics and data science research is timely, "said Chen Songxi. However, there is a problem of supply shortage in this major, and it is necessary to enhance the training capacity of universities to provide talent for the industry, while also making a considerable number of talents willing to stay in universities to cultivate more statisticians and data analysts. Chen Songxi analyzed that although algorithm software is powerful nowadays, humans cannot "contract" the thinking process to artificial intelligence. They still need to clarify problems, master the operation of programs, and have the ability to correct errors in artificial intelligence. In this regard, statistics will play an important role. Since 2023, the National Joint Conference on Statistics and Data Science has been held for three consecutive sessions, gradually forming a brand effect. As a member of the steering committee of the conference organizing committee, Chen Songxi has many feelings: "Since statistics became a first level discipline in 2011, statistical science research in China has developed rapidly, and exchanges with other countries have become increasingly close. According to multidimensional calculations of data published in top international statistical journals, the share of Chinese authors has ranked second in the world." Chen Songxi said that 15% of the more than 1800 scholars attending this conference came from abroad. In the future, the Statistics and Data Science Organizing Committee will strengthen its connections with the industry, invite more enterprises to participate, and promote the integration of disciplines and applied innovation. (New Society)