Shanghai universities to boost research and education on AI

Ti Gong

Shanghai universities are launching programs to boost research and education on artificial intelligence to meet the shortfall of quality AI professionals in China.    

Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University organized forums on AI themes today in conjunction with the World Artificial Intelligence Conference being held in the city.

At Fudan, top-notch scientists like Colin Blakemore, director of the Center of the Study of the Senses in the School of Advanced Study of the University of London, and Michael Levitt, a 2013 Nobel laureate for chemistry, and industry representatives gathered to discuss prospects and challenges of AI development and the fusion of AI and neurosciences, big data and interactive robots.

At Shanghai Jiao Tong, scientists focused on the advanced theory and cutting-edge applications of AI and the role they can play in the real economy. The university unveiled a doctoral AI class today in hopes of nurturing high-end talent in AI. Meanwhile, the university also said it would launch a undergraduate degree majoring in AI next year.

Fudan also signed an agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US to set up a Yangtze Delta machine intelligence innovation center. It will also jointly set up a deep-learning lab with Qiniu Cloud, a leading enterprise cloud service supplier in China. The Shanghai university also said that undergraduates would be able to work toward a degree in AI from 2019. 

So far, at least 13 universities in Shanghai are offering AI education programs.

It is estimated that there is a shortage of more than 5 million AI professionals in China and there is a great demand for AI technology developers, engineers and academic researchers, according to industry sources.

Ti Gong