On May 31st, the Shanghai AI-Finance School (SAIFS) at East China Normal University (ECNU) was officially unveiled and established. This pioneering school, dedicated to the intersection of artificial intelligence and finance, was launched with the gathering of top scholars from the AI and finance sectors in worldwide. The event was characterized by deep exchanges and intellectual collisions on the theme of “Newborn: Dialogue between Artificial Intelligence and the Financial World."
SAIFS is the world's first educational and research institution focusing on the interdisciplinary integration of AI and finance. It primarily has two major research centers: The AI-Finance (AI-Fin) Research Center and the AI-Philosophy-Politics-Economics (AI-PPE) Research Center.
Inauguration Ceremony
Prof. Zhongjie Meng hosted the inauguration ceremony.
The inauguration ceremony was graced by the presence of Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN Resident Coordinator in China; Mr. Lihui Li, the former governor of the Bank of China; Mr. Wenkan Tang, the Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization; Mr. Zhenrong, the Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Mr. Guoqiang Han, the Party Secretary and President of the Shanghai Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China; Mr. Xuewen Xiao, the Chairman of CISDI Group Co., Ltd.; Prof. Shijun Tong, Chancellor of NYU Shanghai; Prof. Chengqi Zhang, Vice President of the University of Technology Sydney; Prof. Jianqing Fan, Professor at Princeton University and member of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, China and the Royal Academy of Sciences in Belgium; Prof. Max Tegmark, Professor at MIT and Director of the Future of Life Institute; Prof. Jie Tang, the WeBank Chair Professor at Tsinghua University's Department of Computer Science and Director of the Basic Model Research Center at the AI Research Institute; Mr. Brian Tse, the Policy Researcher at the AI-Governance Center of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University; Prof. Bing Mei, Chair of the University Council at ECNU; and Prof. Xuhong Qian, the President of ECNU and the Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The inaugural ceremony was hosted by Prof. Zhongjie Meng, the Vice Chair of the University Council at ECNU.
The SAIFS was officially established.
The ceremonial unveiling of SAIFS was jointly presented by Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, Mr. Lihui Li, Mr. Wenkan Tang, Mr. Zhenrong Sun, Mr. Guoqiang Han, Prof. Shijun Tong, Prof. Bing Mei, and Prof. Xuhong Qian, marking the formal establishment of the SAIFS and opening a new era of AI and finance integration. The ceremony was greatly supported by the Shanghai Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China.
Dean Yilei Shao introduced the SAIFS and its developmental planning.
The SAIFS's aims are not only to cultivate a new generation of AI-fin leaders equipped with adequate financial knowledge, AI technology, and practical experience but also to drive innovative AI applications into the finance area and improve the efficiency and quality of financial services to create greater societal value. The AI-Fin Research Center will develop advanced models to identify, quantify, predict, and mitigate systemic risks in AI applications, providing insights and research outputs on AI internal control and compliance to governmental and financial institutions. The AI-PPE Research Center will push the frontiers of global philosophical, political, and economic thought in the AI era and establish a new teaching system for “AI For Social Science”, reinvigorating the application of these inter-disciplines in modern society.
The SAIFS will offer the following graduate-level degree programs, including the Master of AI-Fin, AI-Fin MBA, and AI-Fin Ph.D. programs. The programs above will be piloted in September 2024 and then will be officially launched in 2025. The comprehensive capability of students will be fully cultivated through the courses in terms of AGI (artificial general intelligence) and LLMs (Large Language Models). Additionally, the courses will be offered in the foundation of machine learning/neural networks, application of AI in the financial industry, FinLLM experimental workshops, the socio-economic and ethical implications of AI, the regulation of AI in finance, and the leadership of AI in the management of AI transformation.
SAIFS's FinLLM Lab (The pictures on the desktop screen were made by AIGC)
The first promotional film of the SAIFS, entitled “Newborn”, was released at the inauguration ceremony. A debut film, it was co-created by 50 talented AIGC artists. The film not only displayed the perfect fusion of art and technology but also showed the deep cooperation between human beings and AI. Every detail in the exquisite images, the unique words, and the classical music represents the collaboration of the wisdom of human beings and AI technology.
Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN Resident Coordinator in China delivered the remarks Our Sustainable Development Future.
The inauguration ceremony of SAIFS and its first annual academic conference lasted from May 31 to June 1. There were 18 scholars and industrial pioneers from the AI industry, financial industry, and cross-industries from 4 continents in attendance. Focusing on 3 themes, including: “The Integration of AI and Financial Technology,” “Large Language Models and Finance,” and “A Global Perspective on AI Ethics and Governance.”
The participants delivered 15 inspiring keynote speeches, followed by 3 round table meetings about the deep and insightful discussion on AI-Fin development trends and industrial innovation. The round-table discussions offered a platform with thoughtful exchanges for all attendees.
Mr. Lihui Li delivered the keynote speech The Iteration of AI and the Competition of Computility.
Prof. Max Tegmark delivered the keynote speech Keeping AI under Control.
The SAIFS at ECNU is dedicated to "cross-border integration and leading innovation," aiming to become a training ground for future leaders in the AI-finance area and promoting the integration of AI and fintech towards a broader future. “Younger than AI, grow with AI!”
Sources: ECNU;
Shanghai AI-Finance School, ECNU;
School of Economics and Management, ECNU
