Google DeepMind alum returns to Hong Kong as PolyU AI chair
Cao Liangliang's 20-year Silicon Valley journey ends with a PolyU professorship.
Deep Dive
Google DeepMind's former director Cao Liangliang returns to Hong Kong as Chair Professor of Data Science and AI at PolyU. The IEEE Fellow, trained under Thomas S. Huang, brings experience from Google, Apple, and IBM after a two-decade absence, which could energise Hong Kong's academic AI ecosystem.
Key Points
- Cao Liangliang appointed Chair Professor at PolyU, returning after 20 years in Silicon Valley (Google DeepMind, Apple, IBM)
- Trained under AI legends: Tang Xiao’ou (CUHK), Thomas S. Huang (UIUC), and Li Fei-Fei (Stanford/ImageNet)
- Won 2010 ImageNet competition; led AI teams behind Google’s Gemini, Apple’s Apple Intelligence, and IBM systems
Why It Matters
Could accelerate Hong Kong’s AI talent pool and research ties between academia and industry giants.