Andrew Ng

Andrew Yan-Tak Ng (born 1976) is a prominent British-American computer scientist and technology entrepreneur, widely recognised for his contributions to machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Ng co-founded and led the Google Brain project, significantly advancing AI research. He also served as Chief Scientist at Baidu, where he developed the company's AI Group into a team of several thousand.

Ng is an adjunct professor at Stanford University, previously serving as an associate professor and Director of the Stanford AI Lab (SAIL). He has made substantial contributions to online education, co-founding Coursera and DeepLearning.AI. Through these platforms, Ng has educated over 8 million students in deep learning and AI. His influence in computer science has been acknowledged by Time magazine, which included him in its list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2012 and the Time100 AI Most Influential People in 2023. Fast Company also named him one of the Most Creative People in 2014.

In 2018, Ng launched the AI Fund, a $175 million investment fund supporting AI startups. He is also the founder and CEO of Landing AI, a company offering AI-powered software solutions. Additionally, Ng holds the position of Co-Founder and Chairman of Coursera, which has over 100 million learners and partnerships with more than 275 leading universities and companies.

Ng’s academic background includes degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, and the University of California, Berkeley. His early work in online education at Stanford led to the development of the university's main MOOC platform and the founding of Coursera. He has authored or co-authored over 200 research papers in machine learning, robotics, and related fields.

As of April 2024, Ng serves on the board of directors at Amazon. His contributions to AI and education continue to shape the fields, making him a pivotal figure in modern technology.

Andrew Ng was born in 1976 in the United Kingdom to Ronald Paul Ng, a haematologist, and Tisa Ho, an arts administrator, both immigrants from Hong Kong. He grew up in Hong Kong and Singapore before attending Raffles Institution. In 1997, Ng graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a triple major in Computer Science, Statistics, and Economics. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research on reinforcement learning, model selection, and feature selection at AT&T Bell Labs.

Ng continued his academic journey by earning a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1998. At MIT, he developed an early publicly available web search engine for research papers focused on machine learning. This project was a precursor to CiteSeerX/ResearchIndex.

In 2002, Ng completed his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, under the supervision of Michael I. Jordan. His thesis, titled "Shaping and Policy Search in Reinforcement Learning," remains highly cited in the field.

Ng began his academic career as an assistant professor at Stanford University in 2002 and was promoted to associate professor in 2009. At Stanford, he was the Director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL), where he focused on research related to data mining, big data, and machine learning. His course, CS229, on machine learning became extremely popular, often enrolling over 1,000 students annually. Ng’s influence extended beyond the university as his courses on Coursera became some of the most popular online offerings in AI and machine learning.

Ng’s industry career began with Google, where he co-founded and led the Google Brain Deep Learning Project from 2011 to 2012. The project was pivotal in advancing large-scale artificial neural networks and demonstrated the potential of deep learning through the famous “Google Cat” experiment.

In 2014, Ng joined Baidu as Chief Scientist, leading a team of 1,300 and overseeing various AI projects, including the development of the DuerOS platform and advancements in facial recognition and healthcare chatbots. Ng’s work at Baidu positioned the company as a leader in AI in China. He resigned from Baidu in March 2017.

Following his departure from Baidu, Ng founded Deeplearning.AI, an organisation providing technical training in deep learning and AI. The platform offers a range of courses, including the AI for Good Specialization. Ng also established Landing AI, which provides AI-powered software solutions and focuses on making computer vision accessible and efficient across various industries.

Ng’s contributions to online education began with Stanford Engineering Everywhere (SEE) in 2008, which made Stanford courses available online. This initiative led to the creation of Coursera in 2012, co-founded with Daphne Koller. Coursera rapidly grew, attracting millions of students worldwide and partnering with over 275 universities and companies to offer flexible, affordable, and job-relevant online education.

Ng is the Managing General Partner at AI Fund, a venture studio that supports the creation of AI companies. The fund not only provides capital but also actively helps build and guide startups. Ng is also a member of the board of directors at Drive.ai, a company focused on self-driving cars acquired by Apple in 2019.

Ng’s research spans machine learning, deep learning, machine perception, computer vision, and natural language processing. Notably, his work includes contributions to the Stanford Autonomous Helicopter project and the development of the Robot Operating System (ROS). Ng was a leading figure in the Google Brain project, which demonstrated the effectiveness of large-scale deep learning.

He has authored influential papers, including those on latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) and reinforcement learning for drones. Ng’s work has earned him numerous best paper awards and has significantly impacted AI, computer vision, and robotics.

Ng authored "Machine Learning Yearning," a practical guide for machine learning enthusiasts, and its sequel, "AI Transformation Playbook," released in December 2018. He also contributed a chapter to Martin Ford’s book “Architects of Intelligence.”

Ng has expressed concerns about the impact of regulations on open-source AI, arguing that overly restrictive measures could stifle innovation and hinder progress. He advocates for well-designed regulations that balance safety with the need for continued advancement in AI technologies.

Andrew Ng envisions a future where artificial intelligence revolutionises industries, enhances human capabilities, and addresses global challenges. He aims to democratise access to AI technology, empowering individuals and organisations worldwide to harness its potential for innovation, efficiency, and societal advancement, fostering a more equitable and connected world.