Dear colleagues and students,

It’s a privilege to take on the role of Acting Thrust Head of the Artificial Intelligence Thrust at HKUST(GZ). I step into this position with a deep respect for the remarkable work already underway and a strong commitment to supporting our community as we continue to grow.

I want to begin by acknowledging the dedication and talent of our faculty, staff, and students. Thanks to your efforts, the AI Thrust has quickly become a center of excellence — home to cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a shared ambition to shape the future of intelligent systems.

We are fortunate to have an excellent research team whose expertise spans machine learning and data mining, computer vision, natural language processing, explainable and trustworthy AI, quantum machine learning, embodied intelligence, AI4Science, autonomous systems, and core AI algorithmic development. This breadth and depth of knowledge give us a unique advantage — not only in academic but also in addressing real-world challenges. Our faculty and students have been conducting cutting-edge research and achieved global reputation in both academia and industry. We will continue expanding the faculty team by recruiting both established scholars and young talents.

At the same time, we must recognize that the field of AI is entering a critical phase. Questions around data privacy, ethics, trust, transparency, and the integration of perception and action in intelligent agents are becoming more urgent. These are complex issues, and they demand thoughtful responses. I encourage each of you — whether you’re just beginning your journey in AI or already leading groundbreaking research — to lean into these challenges. Let’s continue to ask difficult questions, explore bold ideas, and build technologies that are not only powerful but responsible and human-centered.

I look forward to working with all of you in the months ahead. Together, let’s keep pushing boundaries and building a community that inspires innovation, integrity, and impact.