AI Pioneer Dan Povey Joins Chinese AI Startup After US University Dismissal
Baltimore, Maryland, September 29, 2019– Dan Povey, a renowned figure in the field of speech recognition and a pioneer in the development of open-source tools like HTK and Kaldi, has joined a Chinese AI startup, AiShu ZhiHui, as Principal Scientist Advisor. His move comes after a controversial dismissal from Johns Hopkins University, wherehe was previously employed, due to political disagreements.
Povey’s departure from Johns Hopkins University in May 2019 stemmed from a clash with the university’s decision to collaborate with local police on establishing a policestation on campus. The move was met with protests from students, who argued that it would exacerbate racial tensions in the city, which has a predominantly non-white population and a high crime rate. Povey, who was vocal in hisopposition to the student protests, was ultimately dismissed by the university after a confrontation with protesters.
Following his dismissal, Povey expressed his disappointment on social media and announced his intention to transition to the industry. However, his attempt to join Facebook as a full-time employee was thwarted by the company’s internal investigationinto the events at Johns Hopkins University. Povey was offered a contract position with Facebook, but he ultimately declined the offer, citing the déjà vu feeling of the situation.
In the aftermath of his Facebook rejection, Povey hinted at the possibility of joining a Chinese company or university, stating thathe found it easier to work with Chinese colleagues due to the absence of American political correctness. He subsequently traveled to China, visiting universities like Tsinghua, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and companies like Xiaomi.
Povey’s decision to join AiShu ZhiHui,a Beijing-based AI big data resource service provider, marks a significant development in the ongoing talent war between the US and China in the field of AI. AiShu ZhiHui, founded in 2016, specializes in providing data structuring services for various industries, leveraging technologies like intelligent speech, natural language processing,and intelligent image recognition.
The company boasts a strong team of experts, including its founder, Zhang Qingqing, who holds a PhD in speech signal processing from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Wang Xiaofei, a former postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University.
Povey’s expertise in speechrecognition, particularly his contributions to the development of Kaldi, a widely used open-source toolkit that has significantly advanced the field, will be a valuable asset to AiShu ZhiHui. His arrival also underscores the growing appeal of Chinese AI companies to top talent from around the world, particularly those who may be facing political orideological obstacles in the US.
The incident highlights the increasing influence of political correctness on academic and professional decisions in the US, potentially driving talented individuals towards alternative opportunities in other countries. Povey’s move to China, along with other recent instances of high-profile scientists and researchers choosing to workin China, suggests a shift in the global landscape of AI research and development.
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