Song-Chun Zhu, a prominent artificial intelligence scientist, has made headlines with his recent decision to leave the United States and return to China. Born in 1969, Zhu grew up in Ezhou, an ancient river port on the Yangtze River. His life—filled with personal and professional experiences—has combined to take him on a truly remarkable journey. His story highlights not only his contributions to the field of AI but reflects broader trends in global talent mobility and national priorities in technology.
Zhu spent his early years in a mud hut in an impoverished rural village, where his father ran a small general supply store. It was in rural China, during the cultural revolution of the early 1970s, when he experienced some of the worst suffering imaginable. By age six, he had faced death more than most people will in a lifetime. The third, and perhaps most motivating factor, was that Zhu lost a close family friend in a horrible traffic crash. He too witnessed his family members die from preventable diseases. Stories of suicide and starvation were omnipresent in his community, all of which left a deep psychological imprint on him as he grew up.
In 1992, Zhu departed China with a burning desire to advance his education. This fueled his journey all the way to Harvard University where he got a PhD in computer science. Along the way, he accomplished groundbreaking milestones. In 1995, he worked with a group of computer programmers, mathematicians and designers to create probability-based techniques of establishing pattern and texture detection. In 2002, at the age of 33, he achieved tenure at UCLA, marking him as one of the youngest faculty members to reach this milestone.
For all his success, Zhu himself started losing faith in the data-driven, deep learning approach to AI by 2009. His disillusionment led to a re-examination of what he wanted to do and where his priorities lay. As Zhu’s family connections became more robust in 2018, his younger daughter, Zhu Yi, was chosen to represent China in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
As if such a rapid career trajectory wasn’t enough, Zhu’s career took yet another turn in 2020 when he chose to return to China — one-way ticket, no return planned. This announcement marked a major pivot to support China’s expanding aspirations in artificial intelligence. This year, he was named to China’s most powerful political advisory body. This decision greatly consolidated his power in setting the agenda for technology policy.
I appreciate that Zhu has forcefully articulated the strategic importance of AI. He thinks China should approach AI with the same level of urgency that it applies to its nuclear weapons program. He stated, “China should have a centralised plan for AI. This,” indicating the need for coordinated efforts in developing this critical technology.
Reflecting on his work over the years, Zhu expressed his singular focus: “Over the last 30 years, I’ve been focused on one thing. It’s the unified theory of AI. To build understanding. That’s my only drive.” This tremendous dedication reflects his commitment to advancing AI research that benefits humanity.
Zhu has spoken highly about the resources and support he now gets in China. He told us they are far better than what existed when he studied in the United States. They are providing me with resources that I would never be able to obtain back in the United States. I don’t expect you to share every detail of my vision of the system I ultimately want to develop. This is it—our once-in-a-lifetime chance to make it happen! I have to do it,” he remarked.
His transition back to China certainly has not gone unnoticed by his fellow colleagues. It was an admirable vision, and Zhu’s holistic approach to AI left fellow researcher David Mumford inspired. “I was just flabbergasted at his vision and how he was going about approaching AI in this comprehensive way,” Mumford noted.
Today, Zhu leads a new generation of scholars at Peking University, asserting that “my PhD students at Peking University are at least on a par with those at MIT and Stanford.” First, he has faith in the talents of Chinese researchers. He sees their potential, their promise to really improve things in the global AI space.