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Ex-Google AI chief Fei-Fei Li among Chinese honoured by US Academy of Medicine
- 90 new regular and 10 international members elected for outstanding professional achievements
- Membership of prestigious body includes infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci
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The former head of Google’s artificial intelligence project in China is one of a number of ethnically Chinese scientists to be elected this year to the United States’ prestigious National Academy of Medicine.
Fei-Fei Li, a Beijing-born computer science professor at Stanford University and a Twitter board director, was among 90 new regular members announced by the academy on Tuesday as “individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service”.
Membership is considered one of the highest honours in the fields of health and medicine, according to the academy, which includes top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci among its ranks.
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Li was elected “for helping establish the field of vision-based artificial intelligence, engendering diverse high-yield medical applications, including her current innovative focus on health-critical clinician and patient behaviour recognition”.
She was a rising star at Google, where she worked as chief scientist for AI and machine learning (AI/ML) before leaving amid controversy surrounding the company’s contracts to develop AI tools for the Pentagon.
Leaked emails discussing the initiative, called Project Maven, prompted outrage among Google employees, who said they suggested Li – a frequent public advocate for the ethical use of AI – was more worried about the company’s public image than the ethical concerns of the technology.
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