Annual Conference

Resolving erratic algorithm enigma

Source:Original    Author:admin    Time:2019-05-27    View:12

Wang Yanfeng, dean of Suzhou Institute of Artificial Intelligence, which was jointly established by Suzhou government and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, believes that AI will play a leading role in innovation.

Q: The theme of this year’s Pujiang Innovation Forum is a new vision for innovation. What new vision do you have as for AI?

A: Science and technology innovation is like a war, with AI as the main battlefield. I hope it can play a leading role in innovation.

Q: What is the current state of AI? What are the bottlenecks, and how should they be opened up?

A: We are still in the stage of “weak” AI, which means it is only for special purposes or fields, such as healthcare or smart homes. The bottleneck is that AI is like a black box. By putting a particular algorithm in, a particular result is achieved, but we do not know why. To eliminate this, we should concentrate on research on basic theories.

Q: What is to be expected in the future in AI field?

A: The present AI for special purposes will evolve into generic AI. The black box will turn into a white box, which means we will understand why a particular algorithm brings about a specific result. Of course, all of this is based on fundamental theoretical breakthroughs.

Q: Can you share some of Jiao Tong University’s experience in cultivating AI talent?

A: Talent is inseparable from the history or tradition of a university. Shanghai Jiao Tong University has an ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) class. Ten years ago, the class won the ACM International College Student Programming Competition in Hawaii, US, the first world champion from Asia.

This was the beginning of the cultivation of high-end talent in computer science and technology at the university. We launched the Wu Wenjun honorary doctoral class in 2018, and this September we will welcome the first batch of students. The class not only recruits from academic elites but also business elites, integrating industry with the university. International cooperation is essential. We have worked with Stanford University and will release a joint AI report at the forum.


Wang Yanfeng, dean of Suzhou Institute of Artificial Intelligence under Shanghai Jiao Tong University


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