Google DeepMind director Cao Liangliang makes a boomerang-return to Hong Kong

Cao Liangliang, a distinguished figure in artificial intelligence and former principal engineer and director at Google DeepMind, has returned to Hong Kong after a 20-year hiatus. His homecoming is set to invigorate the city's artificial intelligence sector, as he assumes the role of Chair Professor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).

Cao's intellectual journey represents a full-circle moment, beginning in 2003 under the guidance of the renowned mentor Tang Xiao'ou at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His early work at Tang's pioneering Multimedia Laboratory (MMLab) laid the groundwork for the emergence of the AI company SenseTime. Subsequently, Cao held key leadership positions in Silicon Valley, contributing to the development of advanced AI systems such as Gemini, Apple Intelligence, and Vision Pro.

Born in Donggang, Liaoning, Cao pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). In 2003, he was recruited by Tang Xiao'ou, an MIT PhD graduate who had returned to CUHK to establish MMLab. Tang was known for attracting top USTC talent, many of whom became prominent in China's AI industry. Cao earned his master's degree from MMLab in 2005 before moving to the United States for his PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) under Thomas S. Huang, a pioneer in computer vision.

At UIUC, Cao received advanced training in AI and computer vision. He notably secured first place in the ImageNet competition in 2010, an event organized by Fei-Fei Li, now a professor at Stanford University. His extensive experience and global influence in machine learning are expected to significantly energize Hong Kong's academic and technological landscape.

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Returning to Hong Kong is a full-circle moment for me.