About

Peking University is the birthplace of global intelligence disciplines. In 1985, Peking University established the Center for Information Science, with the Department of Mathematics, Department of Computer Science, and Department of Radio as the main components, emphasizing interdisciplinary studies. With the support of the Center for Information Science, the first national key laboratory at Peking University, the State Key Laboratory of Vision and Auditory Information Processing, was established in 1988. In 2002, the first Department of Intelligence Science was founded in China, and in 2003, the undergraduate program of "Intelligence Science and Technology" was established, the first of its kind in the country. The program started admitting undergraduate students in 2004. In 2007, Peking University successfully added master's and doctoral programs in the field of Intelligence Science and Technology, forming one of the earliest complete talent development systems for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the field of artificial intelligence in the world. Peking University has always been a leader and pioneer in the construction of intelligence disciplines.

Since 2020, under the leadership of Dean Songchun Zhu, the intelligence discipline at Peking University has embarked on a comprehensive development "fast track." In December 2021, the School of Intelligence Science and Technology (SIST) was officially established, integrating the strengths of the former Department of Intelligence Science, Wangxuan Institute of Computer Technology, and Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The field of "Intelligent Science and Technology" was included in Peking University's "Double World-Class" disciplinary construction. With the support of the Yuanpei College and the School of Information Science and Technology, two flagship programs with broad social influence, namely "PKU General Class" and "PKU Intelligence Class," were created, and an internationally leading curriculum system and talent development plan for seamless integration of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees were established. In October 2022, the joint application of Peking University and Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence for the "National Key Laboratory of General Artificial Intelligence" was successfully approved, aiming to explore new theories, paradigms, and platforms for general artificial intelligence. In November 2022, PKU-Wuhan Institute for Artificial Intelligence was established, aiming to build a comprehensive base for experimental research on national intelligent social governance. The intelligence discipline at Peking University is sailing against the wind, forging ahead.

SIST has gathered a group of internationally influential academic leaders and outstanding young and middle-aged scholars. It currently has 37 faculty members, including 17 professors/researchers, 9 associate professors/associate researchers, 5 assistant professors under the new system, and 2 lecturers and teaching assistants. Among them, there are 5 national-level talents, 5 national-level young talents, and 4 awardees of Peking University's "Hundred Talents Program." SIST welcomes outstanding talents from home and abroad to join and make joint efforts.

Looking back, SIST has achieved fruitful results in research areas such as computer vision, machine audition, and intelligent systems. It has undertaken and presided over multiple national-level major scientific research projects, such as the 973 Program, the 863 Program, and the National Science and Technology Major Project. The research achievements in fingerprint recognition, cochlear implants, national space infrastructure, as well as scene-based 3D reconstruction and free-viewpoint video generation have reached an international advanced and leading level. The School has made outstanding contributions to major national needs in the fields of serving the Winter Olympics, news publishing, national defense and security, and the digital economy.

Looking ahead, SIST will aim to build a theory and system of general artificial intelligence, explore paths and new research paradigms towards general artificial intelligence, innovate and integrate six key areas of computer vision, natural language, machine learning, cognitive reasoning, robotics, and multi-agent systems. It will pioneer a unified theory of artificial intelligence, establish a cognitive architecture and capability evaluation standards for general intelligent agents, and create a general intelligent agent that can continuously evolve and upgrade.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China for the first time put forward the three strategies of revitalizing the country through science and education, building a strong talent nation, and promoting innovation-driven development in a coordinated manner, providing guidance for us to conduct organized scientific research and achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance. SIST will focus on creating a new highland for the cultivation of intelligence science talents, theoretical research, and achievement transformation. With SIST, Wangxuan Institute of Computer Technology, and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence as the main forces within the university, in collaboration with external research institutions such as Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence and PKU-Wuhan Institute for Artificial Intelligence, SIST aims to create an open, free, independent, and innovative academic atmosphere, cater to major national needs, establish national-level research platforms, undertake major national scientific and technological projects, and combine Peking University's educational goals with the experiences of top international universities. It aims to attract outstanding experts and scholars from both domestic and international communities, promote the "Double World-Class" construction of intelligent disciplines, support the development of new engineering disciplines, and contribute to Peking University's efforts to accelerate the construction of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics.