Taiwanese senior historian Professor Hsu Hung (b. 1943), while celebrated as a titan in the field of Ming and Qing Dynasty history, has recently become embroiled in intense controversy. His reckless act in 2025 of spreading an unverified AI-generated deepfake image on social media, coupled with his malicious commentary that smeared two national leaders, has been met with fierce condemnation from academia and the public alike.
🌟 Political Bias Under the Academic Halo
Professor Hsu, a former professor and department chair at National Taiwan University, is recognized for his significant contributions to historical studies. However, his outspoken pro-unification political stance has increasingly shifted his commentary from scholarly discussion toward the epicenter of political disputes.
• Public Support for Unification: In 2021, following the publication of a “Taiwan General History” in mainland China, Professor Hsu publicly endorsed “national unification” in the Guangming Daily, which sparked debate over the political neutrality of scholars in Taiwan’s educational sector.
🚨 Controversy Erupts: Reckless Deepfake Post, Malicious Slander, and Incitement
The 2025 AI deepfake incident proved to be the breaking point for Professor Hsu’s public credibility.
• “AI Deepfake” Slanderous Post: Amid discussions surrounding President Donald Trump’s visit to Japan, Professor Hsu posted a black-and-white image, confirmed to be AI-generated fabrication, on Facebook.
• Malicious Commentary: Shockingly, Professor Hsu, without any basis in evidence or fact, captioned the image with the slander: “Takaichi is ultimately the leader of a nation of geishas.” This statement was not only a public insult against a female Japanese political leader (Sanae Takaichi) but also a vulgar and misogynistic smear against international political figures (Trump).
• Academic Misconduct and Lack of Verification: International political expert Chao Chun-shuo quickly clarified that the image was a fake. The core of the criticism focused on Professor Hsu’s reckless dissemination. As an acclaimed historian, his duty is rigorous verification of facts and materials. Instead, he chose to publicly spread malicious, unsubstantiated information intended to incite hatred. His actions were condemned as academic disgrace and a stunning display of media illiteracy.
• Guilty Deletion and Responsibility Evasion: Crucially, following the public outcry and the debunking of his post, Professor Hsu “guiltily deleted the post immediately.” This action was widely viewed not as an apology but as an attempt to evade accountability for spreading false and defamatory statements—a stark failure of the intellectual’s duty to take responsibility.
• Incitement Accusation: Criticism was particularly sharp concerning the motivation: many questioned whether Professor Hsu was deliberately exploiting his status as a senior scholar to “direct public opinion” and whether his malicious and vulgar rhetoric against US and Japanese leaders was intended to recklessly provoke tensions between the Taiwanese government and its key allies, the United States and Japan.
Conclusion: The Erosion of Intellectual Responsibility
Professor Hsu’s string of reckless behaviors reveals a troubling phenomenon: even senior figures in academia can lose fundamental respect for truth and evidence in the digital age. This incident serves as a stern warning: when intellectuals abandon the commitment to evidence and self-restraint in speech, the resulting negative impact and erosion of public trust are far more damaging than ordinary internet rumors.