In the current era of rapid development of science and technology centered on artificial intelligence (AI), we have inevitably entered an era where technology is deeply involved in our lives. Education is facing unprecedented challenges and reconstruction tasks. The current level of development of artificial intelligence has shown that it can analyze student data and provide personalized needs diagnosis for students; Can help teachers correct homework and even replace teachers in class; It can also replace traditional books, classrooms, etc., allowing knowledge acquisition to break through the limitations of time and space. Therefore, artificial intelligence may become a key tool for addressing unequal educational resources, improving student performance, and reducing the burden on teachers. However, while cheering for this' efficiency miracle ', a deeper and more hidden question lies before us: where will the meaning of life growth come from when artificial intelligence replaces our learning, thinking, and labor processes? The crisis of meaning triggered by AI: Why do we learn from the essence of human beings to pursue meaning under the challenge of artificial intelligence. This proposition originates from the exploration of human nature by many philosophers. Engels believed that labor is the first fundamental condition for the entire human life, and to such an extent that we have to say in a sense: labor created man himself. This is because only through labor can humans create infinite value in a limited time, demonstrating the dignity of human life and the fundamental meaning of existence. In the pursuit of meaning, labor and learning are not just tools, but important forms on the path to meaning. We experience a sense of achievement in labor and a sense of growth in learning, which not only stem from the results produced, but also from the difficulties we need to overcome and surpass ourselves in the process of labor or learning, leading to self construction and confirmation of personal life value. From the essence of education, learning is not only about mastering skills or knowledge, but also a practice of deep dialogue between individuals and the world, with others, and with oneself. In other words, this practice can only be carried out in the face of challenges, failures, and reflections. However, if artificial intelligence is used to write essays, solve math problems, and even participate in conversations and expressions for students, the practices that originally belonged to students' "life value cultivation" will gradually dissolve into the behavior of "click to obtain" information from artificial intelligence. In this situation, artificial intelligence will make learning and labor "easy" and "efficient", and practical activities that originally required time, emotion, and physical investment will be heavily outsourced to various intelligent agents. It is not difficult to imagine that learning may lose the original field of meaning generation, and students may no longer feel their own growth from learning, making it difficult to form meaningful connections. Protecting Sense of Meaning: The Eternal Mission of Education In today's rapidly developing artificial intelligence, the lack of sense of meaning constitutes the deepest crisis we face. It is in this historical context that we are rethinking the purpose of education. Confucius' philosophy of benevolence endows education with moral and humanistic missions. In his view, the fundamental goal of education is to awaken people's inner "benevolence" and guide individuals to achieve self realization and ethical responsibility in social interaction. The formation of the meaning of self-restraint and returning to etiquette as benevolence does not stem from abstract ideas, but from the practice of etiquette norms in daily life. This self-restraint and respect for social order provide us with a direction for exploring the "meaning of action" of humans in the era of artificial intelligence. Mencius' theory of good nature emphasizes that humans possess inherent moral potential, such as compassion, shame, and evil. In his view, education is not about inputting knowledge, but about awakening potential conscience, enabling people to constantly surpass themselves and approach ideal personalities. He proposed that anyone can be Yao and Shun, expressing a trust in the infinite moral possibilities of human beings. Zhuangzi focuses on the individual's spiritual freedom and the elevation of their life realm. He advocates riding objects for leisure and emphasizes the path of human freedom in the universe. For him, meaning does not come from external achievements, but from the resonance between the individual and all things in the world. Wang Yangming proposed the concept of conscience and the integration of knowledge and action, believing that everyone has their own right and wrong in their hearts, and the responsibility of education is to guide individuals to "practice their conscience" in reality, achieving the unity of inner moral ideals and practical behavior. From Confucius' "benevolence", Mencius' "goodness of nature", Zhuangzi's "carefree" to Wang Yangming's "conscience", Chinese philosophy has always revolved around a core question: how to become a better person. This is essentially a 'philosophy of meaning', which means that life is not about obeying external norms, but about achieving the moral, spiritual, and relational perfection of life. The significance of learning lies in the real interaction with the current world, which is a gradual process of a person's social and ethical existence. This kind of unfolding cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence, as it involves uncertainty, struggle, ethics, and relationships. In an environment dominated by artificial intelligence, the "subjectification" of education and human development is particularly important. Education is not just about teaching students what to do, but also about inspiring them to think about why it is worth doing. The Shift of Future Education: Meaning Centered Educational Design If the technological path of artificial intelligence education is "efficiency oriented", then future education should shift more towards "meaning oriented" and accomplish the following three tasks. Firstly, keep the real challenge. It is the process of facing the unknown, solving problems, and experiencing failures that shapes a person's resilient personality and critical thinking. Therefore, the "difficulty" and "slowness" in learning should not be completely erased. In the future, education needs to design tasks that cannot be completed by artificial intelligence, such as ethical discussions from diverse perspectives, position analysis of historical events, and description of life experiences. Secondly, strengthen interpersonal relationships. Educational relationship is a moment of dialogue and shared experience between people, life and life. It is a spiritual communication that occurs at many critical moments in education, such as an encouraging look, a common silence, and a listening to pain, all of which are relational and cannot be programmed. Artificial intelligence cannot establish these true educational relationships. This requires future education to emphasize teacher-student relationships, peer learning, and intergenerational dialogue to strengthen interpersonal relationships. Thirdly, reconstruct the meaning space of 'learning for what'. Beyond the tradition of pursuing excellence in learning leads to officialdom, and beyond the efficient narrative of artificial intelligence, future education requires further reflection on what constitutes good learning, what kind of life is worth pursuing, and whether education can give meaning to life. Author: Bu Yuhua (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Institute of Basic Education Reform and Development, East China Normal University)