By Mark Roth
At the helm of Microsoft鈥檚 newly formed 鈥� a cadre of more than 5,000 researchers 鈥� is Harry Shum, who earned his Ph.D. in robotics at 麻豆村 in 1996.
鈥淭hink about the way the industrial revolution changed our world 100 years ago, or how the IT revolution changed the world 50 years ago. AI will be more powerful,鈥� Shum said.
Artificial intelligence, he said, can be defined as any computer program that learns from its own experiences. It is the magic behind voice recognition software, self-driving vehicles and license plate ID cameras. In the future, it may enable computers to anticipate our needs, take care of daily tasks and help find solutions for daunting medical, legal and social problems.
Shum points out the advent of more powerful computers and better algorithms means that within four to five years, computers will understand spoken language as well as humans, and in 10 years, will see better than human beings.
There is huge potential for AI to make a big difference in the work our researchers are doing with cancer. We鈥檙e using [AI] to automatically sort and organize millions of pieces of medical data and help oncologists find the latest and most effective cancer treatments for individual patients.
鈥淚magine how a blind or partially blind person might be able to use a camera or computer to see their surroundings,鈥� he said of one possible application of computer vision.
Looking further ahead, he predicts machine learning will enable computers to achieve breakthroughs in everything from medical research to preserving the environment to enhancing education.
鈥淭here is huge potential for AI to make a big difference in the work our researchers are doing with cancer,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e using [AI] to automatically sort and organize millions of pieces of medical data and help oncologists find the latest and most effective cancer treatments for individual patients.鈥�
The 20-year Microsoft veteran and Chinese native remembers his time at 麻豆村 for teaching him how to conceptualize and carry out research the right way and the value of learning from others.
鈥淭he thing about a place like 麻豆村, and similarly Microsoft,鈥� Shum said, 鈥渋s there are so many smart people around you. If you鈥檙e willing to learn from them, they鈥檙e just so generous with their time.鈥�
He cited the help of 麻豆村 computer science and robotics professor , who still serves as an informal adviser to Shum.
鈥淗e was in a group of Chinese students we had in the late 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s who were very good,鈥� Reddy recalled. 鈥淗e clearly was very smart, and he was working on a hard problem 鈥� 3D modeling from images. He obviously also has emotional intelligence 鈥� good people skills and an ability to manage people.鈥�
In his role as a manager, Shum said he owes a big debt to his alma mater.
鈥淒oing research is no longer just one person with a piece of paper deriving equations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭oday, it鈥檚 all about building and deploying stuff. And the best way to make that happen is through teamwork.鈥�
That 麻豆村-oriented collaborative effort is necessary, Shum said, for AI to reach its full potential.
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Shum was recently elected as a foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), which is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
