Top-Rated Speakers Bureau and Entertainment Booking Agency for Corporate Meetings and Business Events. Book an AAE Speaker Today.
Top-Rated Speakers Bureau and Entertainment Booking Agency for Corporate Meetings and Business Events. Book an AAE Speaker Today.
Click to Open Search Bar

De Kai

Professor & Pioneer in AI Ethics and Policy; Founding Fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics

Professor & Pioneer in AI Ethics and Policy; Founding Fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics

Travels From Travels From:
Hong Kong
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
REQUEST BOOKING INFORMATION

De Kai Biography

De Kai is Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at HKUST, and Distinguished Research Scholar at Berkeley's International Computer Science Institute. He is among only 17 scientists worldwide named by the Association for Computational Linguistics as a Founding ACL Fellow, for his pioneering contributions to machine translation and machine learning foundations of systems like the Google/Yahoo/Microsoft translators. Recruited as founding faculty of HKUST directly from UC Berkeley, where his PhD thesis was one of the first to spur the paradigm shift toward machine learning based natural language processing technologies, he founded HKUST's internationally funded Human Language Technology Center which launched the world's first web translator over twenty years ago.

De Kai's cross-disciplinary work relating music, language, intelligence, and culture centers on enabling cultures to relate, and stems from a liberal arts perspective emphasizing creativity in both technical and humanistic dimensions. A native of St Louis, he worked and traveled extensively in San Francisco, New York, Germany, Spain, China, India and Canada before joining Hong Kong's ambitious creation of Asia's now top-ranked HKUST, where his pioneering contributions to machine learning of the cognitive relationships between different languages led to the foundations of modern machine translation technology, with broad applications in computer music and computational musicology as well as human language processing.

During his doctoral studies in cognitive science, artificial intelligence and computational linguistics at Berkeley, he worked on seminal projects on intelligent conversational dialog agents. His PhD dissertation employing maximum entropy to model human perception and interpretation of ambiguities was one of the first to spur the paradigm shift toward today's state-of-the-art statistical natural language processing technologies. De Kai also holds an executive MBA from Kellogg (Northwestern University) and HKUST. His undergraduate degree at UCSD was awarded cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and won the liberal arts oriented Revelle College's department award.

In 2015, Debrett's HK 100 named De Kai as one of the 100 most influential figures of Hong Kong.

In 2019, Google named De Kai as one of eight inaugural members of its AI Ethics council, ATEAC (Advanced Technology External Advisory Council).

De Kai Speaking Topics

  • The Future of AI

    In this riveting talk, AI pioneer De Kai shares where this technology is at today – and where it’s going next. Despite the media hype, today ‘AI’ stands for “artificial idiocy.” Our current language learning models (which power tools like ChatGPT) are barely on the cusp of what they’re capable of doing. De Kai shares the ‘next big thing’ in AI – which is neither ‘big’ nor about ‘things’. De Kai answers profound questions, such as: How will the real AI that’s coming very soon be small and smart, and how will that undermine current planning?

  • The Biggest Fear with AI is Fear Itself

    In a million years of human evolution, we have never experienced conditions like those of the AI era. AI is undermining foundational assumptions upon which our current fear-based order is evolved, and causing us to ask big, existential questions about the future. Humanity’s survival depends on our ability to evolve away from fear – and toward possibility – how can AI help?

    AI inventor and professor De Kai has been at the forefront of creating this new technology for decades, and brings a profound understand of the philosophy to compelling talks.

  • Algorithmic Censorship

    Dozens of times a day, AIs determine not only what few hundred things you see (in your social media feed and in search results), but more importantly, what billions of things you don’t see. And since we don’t know what we don’t know – we have no idea how this is manipulating us. De Kai, the Statesman of AI, asks: What are the crucial existential question for society and democracy that keep getting swept under the rug, and how do we tackle them?

  • Why We Need Artificial Mindfulness

    In the ongoing debates about new AI technologies – what they can be used for, who they will benefit, and how they will change society – there are many conflicting opinions. AI innovator De Kai illuminates the various points of view, challenging our assumptions, and reveals how AI can evolve to be both a more effective and a safe tool in the long-run.

  • Artificial Creativity

    Today’s generative AI tools and products fool users into thinking they’ve become truly creative – producing visual art, content, writing, and more at breakneck speed. What are the tricks these AI tools are playing? What are the criteria we should be looking at instead? What kind of creative AI can we expect next?

    In this revelatory talk, AI creator and professor De Kai breaks down how these tools work and what it means for our artists, the creative process, and society as a whole.

De Kai Videos

  • The biggest fear with AI is fear itself | De Kai | TEDxSanMigueldeAllende
    In this talk, De Kai examines how AI amplifies fear into an existential threat to society and humanity, and what we need to be doing about it.
  • What is ‘Empathetic A.I.’? | Professor De Kai
    What is the ‘empathy gap’? What impact will machine learning have on humanity’s future? And why should we all care?
  • Why AI is impossible without mindfulness | De Kai | TEDxOakland
    Can a machine be mindful? What does that even mean? Sticky questions with major consequences for humanity are tackled in this provocative talk by De...

FAQs on booking De Kai

  • How do I book De Kai to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like De Kai for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for De Kai, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for De Kai or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for De Kai

    Speaking fees for De Kai, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book De Kai are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire De Kai, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does De Kai speak about?

  • Where does De Kai travel from?

    De Kai generally travels from Hong Kong, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is De Kai’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like De Kai for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book De Kai for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host De Kai or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

De Kai is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The Future of AI, The Biggest Fear with AI is Fear Itself, Algorithmic Censorship, Why We Need Artificial Mindfulness and Artificial Creativity. The estimated speaking fee range to book De Kai for your event is available upon request. De Kai generally travels from Hong Kong and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Manolis Kellis, Ayanna Howard, Ray Kurzweil, Alice Agogino and Hunter Lloyd. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling De Kai for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Tell us about your event!

During normal business hours, we respond to most inquiries within 4 hours.

  • Customized Service

    Our agents find the right fit for your event

  • Unparalleled Database

    Full access to all speakers & celebrities

  • One Stop Shopping

    A reliable and unbiased point of contact

  • Logistics Management

    Your personal Logistics Manager who takes care of all event details

Speakers Similar to De Kai

related speakers Users also viewed these speakers:

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

TOP