AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li today expressed pride in her unique position as the only woman among seven recipients of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, awarded by the King for their contributions to machine learning. She emphasized the importance of visibility for women in science and technology, highlighting how her acceptance of the ‘godmother’ title serves as an inspiration for future generations.
The ceremony at St James’s Palace honors Prof Li and six other AI leaders—Yoshua Bengio, Bill Dally, Geoffrey Hinton, John Hopfield, Jensen Huang, and Yann LeCun—for their pivotal roles in advancing modern machine learning, which has driven rapid AI development across industries. Their collective work underpins technologies from image recognition to natural language processing, reshaping how humans interact with machines and data. The Queen Elizabeth Prize, awarded annually for groundbreaking engineering innovations that benefit humanity, previously recognized figures like Tim Berners-Lee, underscoring the global significance of this year’s laureates.
Prof Li, co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute and CEO of World Labs, is celebrated for her work on ImageNet, a large-scale dataset that revolutionized computer vision by enabling machines to ‘see’ and identify images. This project, developed with her students, opened what she describes as ‘the floodgate of data-driven AI,’ facilitating major advances in fields like healthcare, autonomous vehicles, and security. Her research laid the foundation for today’s AI systems, emphasizing the critical role of diverse and extensive data in training effective models.
Initially hesitant about the ‘godmother’ moniker, Prof Li now embraces it to advocate for gender representation in STEM. She explained that rejecting the title would miss an opportunity for women scientists to be recognized on par with men, who are frequently termed ‘godfathers’ or ‘founding fathers.’ This shift in perspective reflects her commitment to fostering inclusivity, aiming to empower young women and girls pursuing careers in technology and science. Her journey from China to the US as a teenager and her rise in computer science exemplify the potential of diverse backgrounds in driving innovation.
On AI safety and ethics, Prof Li advocates a pragmatic approach, contrasting with some peers’ more extreme warnings about risks. While colleagues like Geoffrey Hinton have voiced concerns about AI posing an ‘extinction-level threat,’ and Yann LeCun has downplayed such alarms, Prof Li stresses the need for science-based discourse. She believes healthy debate among experts is vital for addressing AI’s profound impacts, calling for communication grounded in facts rather than rhetoric to educate the public and guide policy.
The award ceremony marks the first time all seven laureates have gathered in person, highlighting the collaborative yet diverse nature of AI research. Prof Li envisions the next milestone in AI as the development of interactive systems that engage with the physical world, similar to innate human and animal abilities. She suggests that achieving this could ‘superpower’ humans in areas like creativity, robotic learning, and design, potentially transforming industries and daily life. This forward-looking perspective aligns with her focus on human-centered AI, which prioritizes ethical and beneficial applications.
Lord Vallance, chair of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, praised the winners for representing the best of engineering and demonstrating how it can sustain the planet and transform living and learning. The event not only celebrates individual achievements but also underscores the importance of international cooperation in tackling global challenges through technology. As AI continues to evolve, Prof Li’s work and advocacy remind us of the need for balanced innovation that considers societal implications and promotes equity.
In summary, Fei-Fei Li’s recognition today symbolizes a step toward greater diversity in AI leadership, with her pragmatic views on safety and emphasis on human-centric development offering a roadmap for responsible progress. Her story inspires a new generation to embrace differences and contribute to a field that holds immense promise for humanity’s future.