BEIJING, March 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “We believe that having world-class experts like Dr. Harry Shum teaching at Tsinghua will not only have a positive impact on Tsinghua University but also contribute to the development of artificial intelligence in China and in the world,” said Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University.
On March 5th, the ceremony to appoint Dr. Harry Shum as the Adjunct Professor of Tsinghua University was held at Tsinghua. President Qiu presented the letter of appointment to Dr. Harry Shum online. The ceremony was moderated by Vice President and Provost of Tsinghua University, Yang Bin. This is also the first time that Tsinghua University has held such a ceremony online.
Qiu Yong congratulated Dr. Harry Shum on becoming an Adjunct Professor of Tsinghua University for the second time and extended sincere gratitude to Dr. Shum for his great contributions to the teaching and research at Tsinghua, as well as the establishment and development of the Global Innovation eXchange Institute (GIX), a collaboration between Tsinghua University and Washington University with the support of Microsoft. On September 23rd, 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a dawn redwood tree as a gift to GIX during his state visit to the U.S. Under the current international situation, GIX is not only Tsinghua's first physical presence overseas, but also a milestone of China-U.S. people-to-people and technological exchanges.
Qiu Yong noted that due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, Tsinghua University commenced large-scale online classes as scheduled on February 17th. On March 2nd, Chinese President Xi Jinping came to the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University to inspect the scientific research on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as well as the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. During the inspection, President Xi pointed out that new technologies, including artificial intelligence and big data, should be applied to epidemiological investigation and virus source tracing to figure out where the virus comes from and how it will develop. Artificial intelligence will bring tremendous changes to human society, and its influence on each of us will go beyond our imagination.
“In this special period, we still would like to say ‘Fight on, Wuhan! Stay Strong, China!’ We are firmly confident in China’s victory over the epidemic and also believe that the epidemic will eventually be conquered with joint efforts by all countries,” said Qiu Yong.
Following the speech, Qiu Yong presented the letter of appointment to Dr. Shum online.
Dr. Shum thanked Qiu Yong and Tsinghua University for their ongoing care and support. He recalled how fortunate he has been throughout his 20-year association with Tsinghua University, guiding doctoral students and carrying out research together. He added that “The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus is a challenge faced by all mankind. Just a few days ago, Bill Gates, Tsinghua University honorary doctor, called on all countries to accelerate innovation and research, save more lives and improve global epidemic response mechanisms. As a scientist and teacher, I am deeply committed to this mission. We should gather talents from all over the world to solve our common problems with an open mind, a rigorous attitude toward learning and a spirit of perseverance.”
After the ceremony, Dr. Shum delivered an online lecture entitled “Engineering Responsible AI”.
In the talk, Dr. Shum explored how we can best address societal challenges before the next AI innovation and development cycle. Up to this point, the answer has centered on principles – guidelines to help companies and countries navigate the complexities and implications of AI. But principles alone are no longer enough, industry, academia and government need to take actions now to move from principles to practices.
Shum also shared insights on what Microsoft AI and Research have been practicing, from conducting research in explainable and interpretable AI, to leveraging useful tools like datasheets and checklists commonly used in other industries, to forming an internal AI ethics committee providing guidelines for shipping AI products, to sharing and learning best practices with other companies through the Partnership in AI.
Harry Shum, International Member of the National Academy of Engineering, USA, International Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, IEEE Fellow, ACM Fellow, and Former Executive Vice President at Microsoft Artificial Intelligence and Research Group. He was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Advanced Study in 2005 and since then supervised 18 doctors in the field of Computer Science and Technology for Tsinghua.
Contact: Laura LIN
Email: yuanlin@tsinghua.edu.cn
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