Peking University, April 9, 2018: Two events, the launching ceremony of the International AI Training Program for Chinese Universities, and the 2018 Opening of AI Training for University Teachers, were both held at Yingjie Overseas Exchange Center, Peking University on April 3, 2018.
The Launching Ceremony
Co-initiated by the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange (an affiliated institution of China’s Ministry of Education), the AI Institute of “Sinovation Ventures”, and Peking University, the “International AI Training Program for Chinese Universities” is co-guided by the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, the Department of Higher Education, and the Department of Science and Technology of China’s Ministry of Education (CME). The Plan is also supported by other institutions including the International Institute of Cutting-edge AI in Beijing, and the Center for Campus Layout and Development of CME.
Consisting of two parts—“AI training for university teachers” and “AI Training camp for university students”, the program is intended to provide training for up to 100 teachers and 300 students. Prominent experts on AI, including John E. Hopcroft, creator of the “deep learning” technique; Geoffrey Hinton, founder of the “neural network”; and Kai-Fu Lee and Professor Wang Liwei from PKU are invited to be mentors in these training programs.
According to Xu Tao, dean of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of CME, the program is intended to integrate high-quality domestic resources on AI teaching and application with those abroad by inviting reputed AI experts from both China and the United States to provide respective training for teachers and students. The program predicts that the number of trained teachers and students in next five years would add up to 500 and 5000 respectively. Xu also added that China’s Ministry of Education set about carrying out the “program for joint training on AI talents by China and American universities,” which would provide special scholarships for Chinese students and teachers who go to the United States to study AI. In order to facilitate China-US cooperation on AI teaching, an “association for joint training on AI talents” is also expected to be established.
Tian Gang, vice president of PKU, introduced the university’s education and training system on AI and its experience of AI teaching. Quoting the Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford, Tian pointed out the significance of this joint training program: “Teaching ability is an acquired ability, which can always be improved, and the secrets for improvement rely on feedback from students and learning from colleagues.” Tian hoped that these training programs would serve as a valuable platform for AI teachers to communicate with and learn from each other.
Tian Gang Presenting a Speech
Written by: Peng Dan
Edited by: Fu Wenyun, Karen Xu
