The Future of AI with Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures and NYT Bestselling Author

09/30/21 • 30 min

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After the success of his first book AI Superpowers, a New York Times best-seller examining the role of the US and China in the future of artificial intelligence, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee is back with a new book! Co-authored with award-winning science-fiction writer Chen Quifan, his latest book is called AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future. AI2041 presents a roadmap to educate and explore the opportunities and challenges presented by AI over the coming decades.

Kai-Fu has spent more than three decades at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence research, development, and investment in both the US and China.

He is the chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, a leading venture capital firm focused on developing the next generation of Chinese high-tech companies.

In this episode, we discover how Kai-Fu became a leading voice in AI around the world, discover his new book AI 2041, and learn about how he invests in AI and DeepTech companies.

Topics

00:22 — Introduction with Roxanne Varza

01:44 — How Kai-Fu Lee got into AI

02:54 — Milestones in Kai-Fu's career: from his studies at Columbia University; to his work at Microsoft, SGI, Apple, and Google; to launching Sinovation Ventures.

06:47 — His new book AI 2041: why this title, why 2041?

07:27 — The format of AI 2041

08:31 — How AI 2041 paints the future of AI-based technologies

09:40 — The possible dangers of AI

12:53 — Kai-Fu's favorite part of AI 2041 (includes quantum computers, bitcoin, and robot romance!)

15:00 — Possible solutions against AI's dangers

17:55 — The link between Kai-Fu's two books: AI Superpowers and AI 2041

19:10 — How Kai-Fu invests in AI and DeepTech at Sinovation Ventures

24:23 — Most exciting companies in Kai-Fu's portfolio

25:45 — The trends that Kai-Fu's most excited about on the global landscape

28:27 — Kai-Fu's vision for the future of AI

This episode is supported by TikTok, hosted by Roxanne Varza, and produced by Cindy Yang. Art is by Gaëtan Lefebvre.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kai-Fu has spent more than three decades at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence research, development, and investment in both the US and China.

He is the chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, a leading venture capital firm focused on developing the next generation of Chinese high-tech companies.

In this episode, we discover how Kai-Fu became a leading voice in AI around the world, discover his new book AI 2041, and learn about how he invests in AI and DeepTech companies.

Topics

00:22 — Introduction with Roxanne Varza

01:44 — How Kai-Fu Lee got into AI

02:54 — Milestones in Kai-Fu's career: from his studies at Columbia University; to his work at Microsoft, SGI, Apple, and Google; to launching Sinovation Ventures.

06:47 — His new book AI 2041: why this title, why 2041?

07:27 — The format of AI 2041

08:31 — How AI 2041 paints the future of AI-based technologies

09:40 — The possible dangers of AI

12:53 — Kai-Fu's favorite part of AI 2041 (includes quantum computers, bitcoin, and robot romance!)

15:00 — Possible solutions against AI's dangers

17:55 — The link between Kai-Fu's two books: AI Superpowers and AI 2041

19:10 — How Kai-Fu invests in AI and DeepTech at Sinovation Ventures

24:23 — Most exciting companies in Kai-Fu's portfolio

25:45 — The trends that Kai-Fu's most excited about on the global landscape

28:27 — Kai-Fu's vision for the future of AI

This episode is supported by TikTok, hosted by Roxanne Varza, and produced by Cindy Yang. Art is by Gaëtan Lefebvre.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Interview with Aaron Rasmussen, co-founder of Masterclass and founder & CEO of Outlier.org

Co-founder of Masterclass. Founder and CEO of Outlier.org. Aaron Rasmussen is most known for founding these two phenomenal EdTech companies but he is a very prolific builder who has successfully started and sold companies in the gaming, robotics, and consumer packaged goods industries. With Outlier.org, a company that creates beautifully shot online college courses, Aaron has for mission to create the world's best online college courses. The GV-backed company has been named as one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2020 for its work in making education accessible. Students enrolled in Outlier.org courses earn real, transferable college credit for $400, which is approximately one-sixth the cost of a traditional college course in the USA.

Aaron is a fascinating entrepreneur, inventor, — and artist with a huge TikTok following. In this episode, we talk about how he started Masterclass and Outlier, discuss the future of education, and could not help but ask about what he is doing on the popular social media platform with over 130k followers!

Topics

00:22 — Introduction with Cindy Yang

01:17 — Aaron Rasmussen’s background and beginnings into the entrepreneurial journey

03:34 — How Aaron ventured into the EdTech space

06:17 — The beginnings of Masterclass: How Masterclass managed to get access to high-level speakers as an early-stage company

10:23 — Fascinating things that Aaron has learned while building Masterclass

14:19 — Why Aaron left Masterclass

17:28 — How the idea of Outlier came about

19:30 — Outlier’s model for online education based on educational psychology

21:44 — Working with the University of Pittsburgh and their shared vision of making education more accessible

23:41 — How online classes work on Outlier

25:20 — Aaron on online vs. in-person education

29:58 — How Outlier finds the best teacher for each class

32:40 — Outlier’s long-term vision

36:67 — High-level thoughts on education: the university vs. the anti-university model, the purpose of education, and more.

42:29 — Aaron’s TikTok with 130k+ followers 👀

45:34 — Aaron’s advice for early-stage entrepreneurs

This episode is supported by TikTok, hosted and produced by Cindy Yang. Art is by Gaëtan Lefebvre.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Interview with Emmanuel Straschnov, Founder of Bubble

Emmanuel Straschnov is the founder of Bubble, a leading company in the no-code movement.

Founded in 2012, Bubble was launched before the term "no-code" had even been coined, with the ambition to help anyone build web applications without any knowledge of code. It has since helped many entrepreneurs launch their companies without a technical co-founder.

The company recently announced a $100 million Series A round and, in this episode, we discover that it's only the beginning for them. We dive into the early days of Bubble with Emmanuel, how he bootstrapped for 7 years, his vision for Bubble, and a lot more.

Topics:

00:23 — Introduction with Roxanne Varza

01:40 — Emmanuel Straschnov on the rise of No-Code

04:00 — Emmanuel's skepticism towards general code education

05:41 — What Bubble does

07:10 — How Bubble helps non-technical founders build businesses

09:31 — Bubble's fundraising strategy: from bootstrapping during 7 years to raising $100M

14:30 — Bubble's ambition as a company

15:40 — Going public vs. getting acquired?

17:18 — What's next on Bubble's roadmap for the next two years

20:12 — What Emmanuel finds exciting in the No-Code space

This episode is supported by TikTok, hosted by Roxanne Varza, produced by Cindy Yang, and edited by Grégoire Duhourcau. Art is by Gaëtan Lefebvre.