10th Anniversary - Master Forum with Professor John Hopcroft, U.S. National Academy of Engineering Member
On 10 May 2024, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) celebrated its 10th anniversary with a special Master Forum featuring Professor John Hopcroft. Professor Hopcroft, an esteemed member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a fellow of IEEE, ACM, and SIAM, and a Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Cornell University, delivered a lecture titled "An Overview of Exciting New Topics in Computer Science". During his talk, Professor Hopcroft provided a historical overview of artificial intelligence, spotlighting key achievements and advancements. He then delved into modern and emerging areas within the field, including randomness, generalisation, VC dimension theory, quantum computing, and quantum communication. The event was hosted by Professor David Zhang, X.Q. Deng Presidential Chair Professor of the School of Data Science (SDS), and attracted nearly a hundred students in attendance.
Review
The lecture kicked off with an introduction by Professor David Zhang, X.Q. Deng Presidential Chair Professor at SDS, who welcomed the attendees and introduced the keynote speaker, Professor John Hopcroft. Professor Hopcroft is a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a Fellow of IEEE, ACM, and SIAM, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Cornell University, and Director of the Center for Frontiers in Computing at Peking University.
Professor Hopcroft began his lecture with a historical overview of artificial intelligence, tracing the evolution from the earliest logical units to modern complex neural networks. He emphasized deep learning applications in image recognition and natural language processing, discussing the roles of key technologies like support vector machines and stochastic gradient descent in these advancements. He highlighted how these technologies have advanced academic research and significantly driven industrial innovation.
During the lecture, Professor Hopcroft reviewed major milestones in the development of artificial intelligence, categorizing key advancements since the mid-20th century into three types: contributions to mainstream AI technology, pioneering research in emerging fields, and groundbreaking work in areas not yet widely applied. This discussion recounted the historical context of AI while showcasing its broad applications and profound impacts across various fields.
In the climax of the lecture, Professor Hopcroft presented selected case studies, demonstrating how AI technologies can provide innovative insights and solve real-world problems. These cases included applications in medical image analysis, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent recommendation systems, showcasing AI's capability to tackle complex problems and its unique value in driving scientific and technological progress.
Professor Hopcroft's presentation provided an in-depth understanding of the depth and breadth of AI, highlighting its significant contributions to advancing multiple disciplines. The lecture offered valuable academic insights and inspired the audience to explore the limitless possibilities of AI in future research and applications.
In the final part of the lecture, Professor Hopcroft thoroughly answered questions from the audience regarding the prospects of AI development, technical challenges, and ethical issues.
After the lecture, Professor Hopcroft joined a lunch meeting and discussion with faculty and students of the School of Data Science, engaging in in-depth exchanges on topics related to artificial intelligence.