Kai-Fu is a prominent venture capitalist, technology executive, artificial intelligence expert, and author of the new book, “AI Superpowers. China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order.” Currently, Kai-Fu is the founding CEO of Sinovation Ventures, a Chinese venture capital firm with $2 billion under management, a third of which is in AI. He founded Sinovation Ventures after leading Google’s initial entry into China as the President of Google China. Prior to Google, he spent a number of years at Microsoft as a Corporate Vice President. While at Microsoft he established Microsoft Research Asia, which is widely considered one of the best computer science research labs in the world.
Kai-Fu began his career as an AI researcher, having obtained a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon.
In this interview, Kai-Fu discusses his new book, “AI Superpowers,” in which he highlights the stunning, government-supported progress China’s technology sector has made in recent years. He goes on to argue that China is well positioned to surpass the US in AI prowess, and the reasons for that country’s gains. We also discuss the risk of job displacement, why US companies struggle to break into the Chinese market, and why the reverse is also true, what Sinovation Ventures looks for when identifying new opportunities, and a variety of other topics.
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Kimberly is the Chief Operating Officer of Fannie Mae, a Fortune 25 company with revenues exceeding $112 billion. As COO, Kimberly is responsible for overseeing the company’s technology, operations, innovation, data, and strategic execution functions. Previously, Kimberly held a variety of roles in her twelve years with the company, including Chief Risk Officer and Chief Credit Officer.
Prior to Fannie Mae, Kimberly was the Director of Fixed Income Sales at the Investment Bank, Credit Suisse. Before Credit Suisse, Kimberly was an equity trader at D.E Shaw & Co.
Kimberly received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Princeton University, and an MBA in Finance and Economics from Columbia Business School.
Kimberly serves as a Director on the Board at Calvert Impact Capital.
Steve is the Chief Information Officer of FINRA, a non-governmental organization that regulates member brokerage firms and exchange markets, such as the New York Stock Exchange. As CIO, Steve focuses on building surveillance systems that assist the company’s staff in examining firms and regulating the markets.
Prior to FINRA, Steve was the Co-CIO at Citibank. Before Citibank, Steve was the Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and the Head of Operations and Technology of the NASDAQ. Prior at the NASDAQ, Steve held the same roles at the Chicago Stock Exchange. Before the Chicago Stock Exchange, Steve worked as a Managing Principal at IBM. Steve began his career with KPMG.
Steve received his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University and his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
Bill was the 41st Governor of Colorado, serving in that capacity from 2007 through 2011. Currently, Bill is an Energy Strategy Partner at Blackhorn Ventures where he focuses on the built environment, the energy sector, and the transportation sector. Bill is also the Founder of The Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. In this role, Bill drives the organizations mission to work with state governments and the private sector to transform energy production across the country. As Governor, Bill oversaw Colorado’s renewable energy focused transition to create an environmentally friendly energy economy. Bill signed 57 bills into law as governor, including the thirty percent Renewable Portfolio Standard Act. Before becoming Governor, Bill served as Denver’s District Attorney. Bill received his Bachelor degree in political science from Colorado State University and his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.
Bill is the Chief Technology Officer of Blackstone, the alternative asset management and financial services firm with revenues exceeding $7 billion. As CTO, Bill is responsible for working with vendor partners to better understand the business to make better types of investments. Bill is also responsible for advising companies across Blackstone’s portfolio operations group.
Prior to Blackstone, Bill was the Chief Technology Officer at OpenSky. Before OpenSky, Bill served as the Chief Technology Officer at Capital IQ. Bill also worked as an Architect at Sapient.
Bill received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a computer science major and a concentration in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mike is the Chief Executive Officer of Qlik, a leading provider of analytics software and visualization analytics. As CEO, Mike is responsible for leading Qlik’s mission to become the leader in the analytics economy.
Prior to Qlik, Mike was the Chief Operating Officer of Medidata Solutions. Before Medidata Solutions, Mike spent 26 years at ADP in a variety of senior leadership positions including Chief Information Officer, Head of Product Development, and General Manager of Global HR/Payroll.
Mike received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Dickinson University and his MBA from Pace University.
Mike is a General Partner at Index Ventures, where he helped establish the firm’s San Francisco office. As a Partner, Mike is responsible for investing in early-stage companies, with a focus on open-source and SaaS companies.
Prior to Index Ventures, Mike was the Chief Executive Officer of Joost. Before Joost, Mike held multiple executive positions at Cisco Systems, most recently as Senior Vice President and GM of the Routing and Service Provider Group, and before that, as the company’s first Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to Cisco, Mike worked as a Product Development Engineer at Hewlett-Packard.
Mike received his Bachelor of Science in Medical Engineering, his Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, and his MBA from Stanford University.
Mike currently serves on the board of 16 public and private companies, including Fiat Chrysler.
Ann is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, North America’s largest wine and spirits distribution company with revenues exceeding $16 billion. As CIO, Ann is responsible for a wide variety of areas such as infrastructure, information security, the supply chain, and digital.
Prior to Southern Glazer’s, Ann was the Vice President of Consumer Products, Retail, and Distribution at Capgemini Consulting. Before Capgemini Consulting, Ann was the Vice President of the Fresh Dairy Direct and Supply Chain at Dean Foods. Ann additionally has held a variety of roles at The Coca Cola Company.
Ann received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Georgia and her Masters in Executive Education and Business from Harvard University.
Mayank is the Chief Digital and Information Officer of the United Kingdom’s Department of Work and Pensions, the UK’s largest public service department which impacts over 22 million citizens. Mayank is responsible for IT infrastructure, data, and security, as well as for driving the implementation and adoption of digital technologies to meet emerging customer expectations.
Prior to joining the DWP, Mayank was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley where he was responsible for Global Wealth and Investment Management Technology. Prior to that, Mayank was the Chief Information Officer at Sage UK. Prior to Sage UK, Mayank was the Group Chief Information Officer at iSOFT. Prior to iSOFT, Mayank was the International Chief Information Officer at Avaya.
Mayank received his MBA from The Manchester Business School, and has completed the executive program at Singularity University (non-accredited). Mayank is a Wharton Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mayank currently serves on the board of the Tech Partnership in London and for the DWP.
