Ikhlaq Sidhu addresses A.I. and data science at Hong Kong Baptist University

In January of 2018, professors and students from all over the world gathered at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) for its annual Principal’s Day in order to tackle the theme of “A.I. in X: The Future of Education.” HKBU is a global partner with the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (SCET) and has previously participated in SCET’s Global Venture Lab, which is a summit of academics, innovators, and entrepreneurs from all over the world who gather in order to share insights on research and educational programs.

SCET director Ikhlaq Sidhu (right) meets Hong Kong Baptist University president and vice-chancellor, Roland Chin

Professor Ikhlaq Sidhu, founding director and chief scientist of SCET, was the keynote speaker for this event and shared both Berkeley’s current research efforts into this theme as well as his own insight into how students can prepare themselves for a future where humans and machines collaborate on projects. Professor Sidhu concluded that while it is important for educators and students alike to understand how artificial intelligence will affect academia, in the end, humans will be an indispensable part of any new technology.

In the days following the keynote address, Professor Sidhu and Research Director Alexander Fred-Ojala (co-creator of the Data-X course at Berkeley) taught a two day Masterclass. The Masterclass is a condensed version of the UC Berkeley Data-X class and a high paced immersion into emerging technologies and state-of-the-art AI tools.  Among the participants were professors, business representatives and technical leaders that wants to “master the technologies and concepts that are changing the business landscape.” This masterclass included sessions on a variety of topics, including big data, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and the future of data science. The Masterclass equips the participants with knowledge to pursue business opportunities and apply skills in data science, machine learning, and AI.

Find some of the concepts and materials presented at the Masterclass at the Data-X HKBU official Github repository: https://github.com/afo/dataXhkbu

Professor Sidhu and Research Director Alexander Ojala with participants of the masterclass