"I hope that in 100 years, it is not a world of living machines, a cyborg planet, an AI world, but still a world very much where human beings are important, cherished, prized and have dignity," Robert J. Sawyer, one of the most popular science fiction writers in the world today, said on Wednesday.

"And the most important thing that I could say to people 100 years from now is 'nihao' [which means hello in Chinese] and have them say it back to us, because it means we would have survived another 100 years," Sawyer told CGTN during an interview at the ongoing 81th World Science Fiction Conference (Worldcon) in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

"I would say to them, I'm delighted we made it, because here, 100 years earlier, in 2023, we have concern about whether we will survive 100 years as a species," he added, highlighting the challenges the world faces today, among which he said climate change is of the highest urgency and risk.

The Canadian writer, dubbed "the Dean of Canadian Science Fiction," is one of only eight writers ever to win all three of the world's top awards for best science-fiction novel: the Hugo, the Nebula and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. 

He is a guest of honor at this year's WorldCon, which opened in Chengdu on Wednesday night. It is the first time China has hosted the world's largest and most influential science fiction carnival.

Liu Cixin, China's best-known science-fiction writer, also shared his expectations for people living 100 years from now.

"I hope they will well surpass our generation and go far beyond what the science fiction writers of our generation ever imagined, whether it is in their lives, their achievements or the scope of human life during their time. This is what I envision for them, and I believe it will be the case," he said.

Liu's novel "The Three-Body Problem" won the 73rd Hugo Award for Best Novel, which is the first time that an Asian writer has won this award.

Echoing Liu's remarks, Sawyer added: "I would like to see that we have a prosperous world, a world that's at peace, a world that has solved the environmental crisis that we all face, and a world that prizes human qualities alongside all of the wondrous things that artificial intelligence is going to do as well."

Read more: First time in China: 81st World Science Fiction Convention opens in Chengdu