Ma Yi remembers the long list of renowned Chinese researchers trained by Microsoft Research Asia, the US tech giant’s laboratory. Now as new head of the University of Hong Kong (HKU)’s computing school, the Chinese-born artificial intelligence (AI) scientist said he is trying to rebuild that nurturing environment, which creates opportunities for talent to shine.
In an interview with the Post on Thursday, the leader of the recently merged School of Computing and Data Science said he gave up his tenure at the University of California, Berkeley to take up his role in Hong Kong because he sees more that he can do in this part of the world. That includes grooming researchers.
“China does not lack talent … what it actually lacks is a mechanism to nurture them, to grow them,” said Ma, who has worked on both sides of the Pacific in a career spanning academia and industries. “We have the top talent, raw talent, but they need the right environment, the system, to grow.”
Ma is among a growing list of Chinese scientists returning from US institutions to serve in Hong Kong and the mainland, lending key support to China’s rising technology rivalry with the United States.
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