A professor from Tsinghua University has stated that a virtual student using new artificial intelligence technology, who has just enrolled at the university, could reach the cognitive level of a 12-year-old child within just one year.
One of China’s elite universities has welcomed a remarkably unique new student, as this student is virtual and utilizes artificial intelligence for learning.
Named Hua Zhibing, the virtual student is currently studying in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Tsinghua University. Here, she will study under the guidance of a professor. Hua is the first AI student to attend university, having started her enrollment on Tuesday and will begin taking courses related to technology and data.
Hua is the product of training from the non-profit research institute Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence and technology companies such as Zhipu.AI and Xiaoice.
Hua Zhibing – the virtual student studying at Tsinghua University.
The Chinese government has long established an ambitious vision for the AI sector. The country aims to achieve a “major breakthrough” in fundamental artificial intelligence theory by 2025.
Officials hope this technology will become a driving force in the country’s economic transformation and upgrade its industrial capabilities.
In recent years, China has increasingly integrated artificial intelligence across various fields, including healthcare and education, although the growing use of facial recognition technology has raised privacy concerns. Meanwhile, companies are using AI to develop everything from apps that preserve local dialects to self-driving cars, and even chatbots.
According to Tang Jie, a computer science professor teaching AI students, Hua has shown the ability to write poetry, paint, and even possess some musical talent. This virtual student also has reasoning and emotional capabilities, distinguishing her from other virtual characters thanks to a pre-trained machine learning model.
Tang shared with the media: “In the next year, she could reach the cognitive level of a 12-year-old child.” Peng Shuang, co-founder of the Xiaoice chatbot, hopes Hua will operate less like a robot and become increasingly human-like in the future.
A computer science major at Tsinghua University shared with the magazine Sixth Tone that most students at the university are unaware of this AI student because the university has not introduced her to the public.
