kids encyclopedia robot

Pascale Fung facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Pascale Fung
Pascal Fung on building robots with empathy.png
Born Shanghai
Education PhD from Columbia University in 1997
Alma mater PhD in Computer Science from Columbia University
Occupation Professor at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
Employer Hong Kong University of Science & Technology

Pascale Fung (馮雁) was born in Shanghai, China. She is a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). She works in both the Electronic & Computer Engineering and Computer Science & Engineering departments.

Professor Fung leads the Centre for AI Research (CAiRE) at HKUST. She is a top expert in how humans and computers talk to each other. Because of her important work, she has been chosen as a Fellow by several big groups. These include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the International Speech Communication Association, and the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL). These honors recognize her work in making computers understand and even show feelings like humans.

She is also part of the Global Future Council on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. This group is like a special team of thinkers for the World Economic Forum. She writes articles for their online magazine. Professor Fung is also a member of the Partnership on AI. She often shares her knowledge about AI with governments in different countries, like China, Japan, and the United States. She also advises the European Union and the United Nations.

Professor Fung's research focuses on creating systems that can understand and feel with people. She has written many articles and book chapters about her work. She helped start the Human Language Technology Center (HLTC) at HKUST. She also works with the Robotics Institute and the Big Data Institute there. Professor Fung is the first leader of the Women Faculty Association at HKUST. She works hard to encourage young women to study engineering and science.

What Professor Fung Does

Professor Fung's main goal is to build computer systems that can understand and connect with humans. She wants them to be able to show empathy, which means understanding and sharing the feelings of others. She has written hundreds of papers and articles about her research.

She often shares her ideas in places like Scientific American and the World Economic Forum. Professor Fung was one of the first to use statistical models to help computers understand human language. Her PhD work looked at new ways for computers to learn languages. This included finding out how words in different languages are related.

She is an expert in how computers understand spoken language. She also specializes in computer emotional intelligence. This means teaching computers to recognize and respond to human emotions. Professor Fung believes in using research to create real-world products. Her team's work has led to many cool inventions:

  • In 2001, they launched the world's first Chinese natural language search engine. This helps people find information by typing questions in everyday language.
  • In 2010, they created the first Chinese virtual assistant for smartphones. Think of it like a smart helper on your phone.
  • In 2017, they made the first speaker that could understand and respond with emotions.

Awards and Recognitions

Professor Fung has received many important awards for her work:

  • She was chosen as a Fellow by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). This was for her work in making AI that can have conversations and follow ethical rules.
  • She was also chosen as a Fellow by the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL). This was for her contributions to how computers understand language and build smart systems.
  • She was nominated for the "AI for Good" award at the VentureBeat AI Innovation Awards in 2020.
  • In 2017, she won the Outstanding Women Professionals & Entrepreneurs Award in Hong Kong.
  • She was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This was for her work on how humans and machines interact.
  • She was elected as a Fellow of the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA). This was for her important work in how spoken language helps humans and machines interact.
  • Since 2016, she has been a member of the Global Future Council on AI and Robotics at the World Economic Forum.
  • In 2014, List Magazine named her one of the "Top 50 Women of Hope."
  • Her students chose her as "My Favorite Teacher" in both 2007 and 2009.

Where Professor Fung Works

Professor Fung is connected to many important groups and places:

Other Important People in AI

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Pascale Fung Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.