From poor immigrant to AI pioneer: Fei Fei Li's journey to $3M science prize

The 48-year-old Stanford University professor, dubbed the "Godmother of AI", was honored with the US$3-million VinFuture Grand Prize on Dec. 6. Along with four other pioneering scientists in AI and deep learning—Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey E. Hinton, Jensen Huang, and Yann LeCun—Li was recognized for her transformative contributions to the field.

The VinFuture Grand Prize honored her groundbreaking work in computer vision and the creation of ImageNet, a revolutionary dataset that has had a profound impact on the development of AI.

Her groundbreaking research has underscored the critical role of data in training AI systems and influencing its applications across various fields. By expanding the boundaries of machine perception and interpretation, her work has catalyzed innovation in computer vision, delivering remarkable benefits to society.

Born in Beijing and raised in Sichuan Province, southwest China, Li grew up in a well-off family. Her father, Li Shun, worked in the computer department of a chemical factory, and her mother, Kuang Ying, was a high school teacher.

In 1992 her family moved to the U.S. hoping to secure better educational opportunities for her. But life in America presented immense challenges. With their limited English skills, her father found work repairing cameras and her mother became a cashier at a supermarket. The family lived in a small one-bedroom apartment, a stark contrast with their comfortable life in China.

Li recalls: "We had no money. So apart from studying, I worked various odd jobs. I did not feel sorry for myself because my parents worked just as hard. Together, we strived to survive as a family. I learned English from scratch but excelled academically, particularly in math and science."

While in high school, Li worked as a waitress and cleaner. Her talent for math and physics caught the attention of her teacher, Bob Sabella, who became a guiding force in her life. His encouragement and support instilled confidence in Li, helping her feel included and valued beyond her identity as a Chinese immigrant.

Dr. Fei Fei Li. Photo courtesy of VinFuture Prize's Facebook

In 1995 she secured a scholarship to Princeton University to pursue a degree in physics. Determined to support her family, she borrowed money from friends and former teachers to purchase a dry-cleaning business for her parents. She attended classes during the week and worked at the store on weekends. Despite the grueling schedule, she graduated with high honors in 1999.

She continued her academic journey, obtaining a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 2005. During her doctoral studies, she made significant contributions to "one-shot learning," a method enabling AI to make predictions using minimal data. This innovation became a cornerstone for advancements in computer vision and natural language processing.

In 2006 Li conceived the idea for ImageNet, often described as the "eyes of AI," which laid the groundwork for generative AI. The database pairs millions of images with detailed textual descriptions, serving as a benchmark for developing advanced AI systems. By 2009, Li and her team had labelled 3.2 million images.

The following year they launched a competition to encourage researchers to create AI systems capable of accurately interpreting image content. This initiative revolutionized image recognition technology.

Li joined Stanford University as an assistant professor in 2009 and became a full professor in 2018. Between 2013 and 2018 she directed Stanford’s AI Laboratory. During her tenure at Google Cloud from 2017 to 2018, she served as vice president and chief scientist for AI/ML, where she contributed to Project Maven, a program focused on analyzing drone-captured images using AI. Her work in computer vision has been transformative, with applications ranging from autonomous vehicles to advanced imaging systems.

In 2019 Li returned to Stanford as co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. She is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the computer science department and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. At Stanford, her efforts focus on promoting AI research, education and policies to ensure the technology benefits humanity in ethical and inclusive ways.

Building on her work at Stanford's AI Lab, she founded AI4ALL, a nonprofit organization offering AI courses to high school students, with a particular focus on encouraging young women and underrepresented minorities to explore careers in computer science. She frequently delivers keynote speeches at academic and industry events, emphasizing the importance of diversity and gender equality in technology.

In November 2023 Li published a memoir titled "The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI." Reflecting on the experience, she says: "I am shy and not good at self-expression, but I was determined to write this book because women’s voices are essential in AI."