Kaifu Lee

Extracted Attributes

• Education

  Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University; B.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University

• Full Name

  Kai-Fu Lee

• Citizenship

  Taiwanese (formerly Taiwanese American until 2011)

• Date of Birth

  1961-12-03

• Place of Birth

  Taipei, Taiwan

• Notable Achievement

  Developed SPHINX, the first speaker-independent continuous speech recognition system (1988)

• Social Media Following

  Over 50 million followers

Timeline

• Born in Taipei, Taiwan. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1961-12-03

• Developed the SPHINX speech recognition system and received Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. (Source: Carnegie Mellon University)

  1988-01-01

• Became the founding director of Microsoft Research China (later Microsoft Research Asia). (Source: Wikipedia)

  1998-01-01

• Appointed President of Google China. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2005-01-01

• Left Google to found the venture capital firm Innovation Works (now Sinovation Ventures). (Source: Wikipedia)

  2009-09-01

• Renounced United States citizenship. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2011-01-01

• Named to TIME's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (Source: Columbia Global Centers)

  2013-01-01

• Published the book 'AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order'. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2018-01-01

• Co-authored and published 'AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future'. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2021-01-01

• Founded the Chinese AI company 01.AI and named to TIME's 100 most influential people in AI. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2023-01-01

Kai-Fu Lee

Kai-Fu Lee (traditional Chinese: 李開復; simplified Chinese: 李开复; pinyin: Lǐ Kāifù; born December 3, 1961) is a Taiwanese computer scientist, investor, and author. He was the founding director of Microsoft Research China, later Microsoft Research Asia, serving from 1998 to 2000, and served as president of Google China 2005 to 2009. In 2009, Lee founded the venture capital firm Innovation Works, later renamed Sinovation Ventures. In 2023, he founded 01.AI, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company. Lee is the author of AI Superpowers (2018) and AI 2041 (with Chen Qiufan, 2021). He has served as co‑chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global AI Council and was named to TIME's 2023 list of the 100 most influential people in AI.

Web Search Results

• Kai-Fu Lee - Wikipedia

  Kai-Fu Lee (traditional Chinese: 李開復; simplified Chinese: 李开复; pinyin: Lǐ Kāifù; born December 3, 1961) is a Taiwanese computer scientist, investor, and author. He was the founding director of Microsoft Research China, later Microsoft Research Asia, serving from 1998 to 2000, and served as president of Google China 2005 to 2009. In 2009, Lee founded the venture capital firm Innovation Works, later renamed Sinovation Ventures. In 2023, he founded 01.AI, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company. Lee is the author of AI Superpowers (2018) and AI 2041 (with Chen Qiufan, 2021). He has served as co‑chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global AI Council and was named to TIME's "Time (magazine)") 2023 list of the 100 most influential people in AI. ## Early life and education [edit] [...] Taiwanese computer scientist and investor | Kai-Fu Lee | | 李開復 | | Kai-Fu Lee in December 2007 | | Born | December 3, 1961 (1961-12-03) (age 64) Taipei, Taiwan | | Citizenship | Taiwanese American (until 2011) | | Education | Columbia University (BS) Carnegie Mellon University (PhD) | | Occupations | Businessman computer scientist investor writer | | Known for | Artificial intelligence expertise Founding Director of Microsoft Research Asia Former President of Google China Co-founder of Sinovation Ventures Founder of 01.AI | | Scientific career | | Fields | Computational linguistics + Speech recognition | | Thesis | Large-vocabulary speaker-independent continuous speech recognition: The SPHINX system (1988) | | Doctoral advisor | Raj Reddy | | | [...] Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item Appearance From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Taiwanese computer scientist and investor | Kai-Fu Lee |

• How the Rise of AI in China Can Benefit the World with Dr. Kai-Fu ...

  About our speaker: Kai-Fu Lee is a leading AI expert, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. He is the Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures and the founder of 01.AI, a company developing large language models in China. Previously, he held executive positions at Apple, Microsoft, and Google, where he served as President of Google China. A pioneer in artificial intelligence, Lee earned his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and led the creation of one of the first speaker-independent continuous speech recognition systems. He is also the author of the bestselling books AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order and AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future, and is widely recognized for his insights on the global impact of AI and the rise of innovation in China. [...] Stanford University Center for East Asian Studies Global Studies Main content start # How the Rise of AI in China Can Benefit the World with Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, Founder & CEO, 01.AI Date Tue December 2nd 2025, 4:30 - 5:50pm Event Sponsor US-Asia Technology Management Center For our closing keynote session, guest speaker Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman & CEO of Sinovation Ventures and President of Sinovation Venture’s Artificial Intelligence Institute, and Founder of 01.AI joins moderator Dr. Richard Dasher, Director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center. In this fireside chat, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee will discuss innovation and leadership in AI and technology in China, and how Chinese AI development is shaping global trends, particularly across Asia.

• Kai-Fu Lee - Columbia Global Centers

  Columbia University in the City of New York Columbia University Columbia Global Centers Columbia Global Centers ## You are here: 1. Home 2. Our Faculty 3. Kai-Fu Lee Kai-Fu Lee # Kai-Fu Lee Dr. Kai-Fu Lee is the Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures and President of Sinovation Venture's Artificial Intelligence Institute. Prior to founding Sinovation in 2009, Dr. Lee was the President of Google China, and senior executives at Microsoft, SGI, and Apple. Dr. Lee received his Bachelor degree from Computer Science from Columbia University, Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as Honorary Doctorate Degrees from both Carnegie Mellon and the City University of Hong Kong. [...] He co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Council for the World Economic Forum Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and is highly recognized as “TIME100 AI” Top 25 AI Leaders in the World, 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine in 2013, WIRED 25 Icons, and followed by over 50 million audiences on social media.

• Kai-Fu Lee | UCSB Center for Responsible Machine Learning

  Dr. Kai-Fu Lee has spent more than three decades at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence research, development, and investment in both the US and China. He’s the chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, a leading venture capital firm focused on developing the next generation of Chinese high-tech companies. Previously, Dr. Lee was the president of Google China and a senior executive at Microsoft, SGI, and Apple. Co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence Council at the World Economic Forum, he has a bachelor's degree from Columbia and a PhD from Carnegie Mellon. [...] Dr. Lee is the author of AI2041: Ten Visions for Our Future, co-written with award-winning science-fiction writer Chen Qiufan. AI2041 presents a roadmap to educate and explore the opportunities and challenges presented by AI over the coming decades. [...] University of California, Santa Barbara ## Search 1. UCSB Center for Responsible Machine Learning 2. Kai-Fu Lee # Kai-Fu Lee wednesday, November 17, 2021 4:00 pm PT event poster Watch conversation Kai-Fu Lee ### AI and Our Future: A Conversation with Kai-Fu Lee

• Kai-Fu Lee - Carnegie Mellon University | CMU

  | | | | | | | --- --- | | | | | | | | | Kai-Fu Lee | | | | | | | On Google's Success in China In 1988, Kai-Fu Lee received his doctoral degree from Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science, where he accepted a position as an assistant professor. Fast-forward 20 years and Lee has returned to his alma mater as founding president of Google China and vice president of Google, Inc. It was standing-room-only in McConomy auditorium as he spoke about the company's path to success against all odds. "China is big, and China is challenging," admitted Lee, whose warm wit drew plenty of laughs as he outlined the six-step plan through which Google China gained its increase in market share and developed the best search engine in China. He cited a long-term view and patience as key, [...] but Google has reasons for optimism. "We're hiring really great people. And we did the right thing — focusing on building the company to last rather than to make money quickly." Lee joined Google in 2005 to develop the company's operations in China. In short, he's responsible for all engineering, product development and public affairs activities there. Prior to joining Google, he was a corporate vice president responsible for advanced natural language and user interface technologies at Microsoft and was the founder of Microsoft Research Asia. While an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon, Lee developed the world's first speaker-independent continuous speech-recognition system. This system was selected as the "Most Important Innovation of 1988" by Business Week. Also while at [...] in China. He cited a long-term view and patience as key, underscoring the importance of putting people first and creating a search engine designed by Chinese for Chinese. "We build a world-class team by attracting the very best, finding the best engineers and giving them lots of freedom," Lee explained. "And we empower the local team." Lee went on to describe how Chinese users differ from other users, noting their tendency to be curiosity-driven rather than having an 'I'll-recognize-it-when-I-see-it' search behavior. "So, we concentrate on building the traffic, and profit will follow," Lee said. "It's a very unique formula that allows us to focus on the user." Lee noted that multinational companies face a lot of challenges, but Google has reasons for optimism. "We're hiring really