AI Pioneer Kai-Fu Lee Discusses His New Work of Fiction

One of AI’s greatest champions has turned to fiction to answer the question: how will technology shape our world in the next 20 years?

Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures and a former president of Google China, spoke with NVIDIA AI Podcast host Noah Kravitz about AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future. The book, his fourth available in the U.S. and first work of fiction, was in collaboration with Chinese sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan, also known as Stanley Chan.

Lee and Chan blend their expertise in scientific forecasting and speculative fiction in this collection of short stories, which was published in September.

Among Lee’s books is the New York Times bestseller AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, which he spoke about on a 2018 episode of the AI Podcast.

The AI Podcast · ‘AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future’: AI Pioneer Kai-Fu Lee Discusses His New Work of Fiction

Key Points From This Episode:

Each of AI 2041‘s stories takes place in a different country and tackles various AI-related topics. For example, one story follows a teenage girl in Mumbai who rebels when AI gets in the way of her romantic endeavors. Another is about virtual teachers in Seoul who offer orphaned twins new ways to learn and connect.
Lee added written commentaries to go along with each story, covering what real technologies are used in it, how those technologies work, as well as their potential upsides and downsides.

Tweetables:

As AI still seems to be an intimidating topic for many, “I wanted to see if we could create a new, innovative piece of work that is not only accessible, but also engaging and entertaining for more people.” — Kai-Fu Lee [1:48]

“By the end of the 10th story, [readers] will have taken their first lesson in AI.” — Kai-Fu Lee [2:02]

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