Baidu seeks help from science fiction writers to realize AI ambition
Updated: 2016-04-01 07:32
By Meng Jing(China Daily)
|
|||||||||
Google CEO Sundar Pichai plays with top Go player Ke Jie at a Go school in Beijing on March 31, 2016. Pichai also talked about technology with Ke and other players. [Provided to China Daily] |
The Baidu Verne Plan involves setting up a consulting team to bring the world's best science fiction writers together with leading scientists in a quest to turn imagination into reality.
The project, named after French novelist Jules Verne, has already invited six people to be the first group of advisers in the team, according to Beijing-based Baidu.
The company said that some of Verne's imagination seen in his books in the 19th century, such as helicopters, had been realized in the 20th century.
Apart from Andrew Ng, Baidu's chief scientist, the other five advisers are science fiction writers. They include Liu Cixin, who last year became the first Asian author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel for his book The Three-Body Problem, and David Brin, an award-winning author from the United States.
Baidu said in a statement that the advisers will receive updated information on how the company is developing certain technologies.
They will also be able to communicate with Baidu's research and development team to turn some of the ideas into products through brainstorming.
Liu Cixin told The Paper in an interview: "This is an innovative organization. Many ideas, along with innovative work, will be born here. The project will focus on artificial intelligence, and there will be an opportunity for us to work with scientists once the project is officially launched."
Baidu said the project is highly exclusive, open only by invitation.
It is in line with the company's ambitions, as its President Zhang Yaqin has said artificial intelligence is the foundation to empower traditional industries and make them smart. He told China Daily, "Baidu has made some world-class achievements in the key subfields of artificial intelligence, such as image recognition, voice recognition, machine translation and self-driving cars."
Artificial intelligence is viewed by many other Chinese companies as the next "big thing", especially after Google's AlphaGo artificial intelligence program beat a South Korean world-class Go player recently.
Industry insiders say computers are likely to replace humans in a number of areas.
Beijing-based Internet finance company Jimu.com said it is about to launch a service using robots to offer wealth management advice to middle-class clients.
Dong Jun, the company's chief executive officer, said, "Through deep learning, it is possible that the machines will be able to calculate investment risk, predict investment yield and offer tailor-made financial advice to individuals after analyzing a huge pool of data."
Related Stories
Baidu's Li asks for govt attention on auto-driving sector 2016-03-03 14:12
Baidu expands its mapping service abroad 2016-02-03 07:58
Tech titans talk about machines, men and virtual reality 2016-03-25 08:15
Tech moguls predict further advances in AI 2016-03-21 11:13
Google CEO Sundar Pichai visits China's Go school 2016-03-31 15:00
Today's Top News
Xi-Obama bilateral talk to advance ties
Foreign companies reassured on new Internet rules
Beijing and Prague form new key link
Trump drops pledge to back Republican nominee
China, Czech Republic set up strategic partnership
EgyptAir hijacker arrested, all passengers freed
Panda to join Little Mole in new cartoon series
President optimistic for Sino-German cooperation
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Panda to join Little Mole in new cartoon series |
What makes the middle class tick |
One-stop app |
Minister rules out property market collapse |
Man on Mars? Chinese could be the first |
Accidental ballet star on the rise |