News Summary

Song-Chun Zhu, a leading figure in artificial intelligence, made headlines by moving from the US to China, where he now holds professorships at Beijing universities and directs a state-sponsored AI institute. Zhu, whose pioneering work helped lay the groundwork for modern AI systems, left the US in 2020 after feeling estranged from the neural network-driven AI community and facing geopolitical tensions. His move reflects broader trends of international scientists leaving the US amid increasing US-China tensions. Zhu’s focus is on a ‘small data, big task’ approach to AI, which contrasts with the ‘big data, small task’ paradigm prevalent in the US. His work in China is supported with significant resources, allowing him to pursue his vision of artificial general intelligence.