Summary
Overview
Dr. Fei-Fei Li, known as the godmother of AI and creator of ImageNet, discusses her journey from immigrant teenager working in her family's dry cleaning business to becoming a pioneering computer scientist at Stanford. She explains the importance of spatial intelligence in AI's next frontier, shares insights on education and parenting in the AI age, and emphasizes that people must remain at the center of AI development despite the technology's rapid advancement.
From Chengdu to New Jersey: An Immigrant's Journey
Dr. Li grew up in Chengdu, China, with an unusually curious and whimsical father who loved nature and bugs rather than academic achievement. At age 15, she moved to Parsippany, New Jersey, joining her father in a completely foreign world. Her parents made this brave decision to provide educational opportunities unavailable in China, despite speaking no English and having no connections in America. This transition shaped her perspective on society across all levels.
- Dr. Li was born in Beijing but grew up in Chengdu, famous for panda bears, before moving to New Jersey at age 15
- Her father was atypical for Chinese parents - uninterested in grades or achievements, instead loving nature, bugs, and taking her to fields and mountains
- Her mother was more disciplined and rebellious, with unfinished dreams crushed by the Cultural Revolution
- The family left China when she was 12-15, motivated by opportunities for education and freedom despite the immense uncertainty
" My dad loved and still loves nature. He's just a curious mind. He finds humor and fun in unserious things. He loves bugs, insects. "
Bob Sabella: The Teacher Who Changed Everything
Bob Sabella, a high school math teacher at Parsippany High School, became the most influential person in Dr. Li's formative years as a lonely immigrant teenager. He treated her as a friend, discussing books and culture beyond just math. Most remarkably, he sacrificed his only lunch hour every day to teach her AP Calculus BC one-on-one when the school couldn't offer a full class, a contribution she only fully appreciated after becoming a teacher herself.
- Bob Sabella became Dr. Li's mentor, friend, and eventually his entire family became her American family
- He sacrificed his only lunch hour daily to teach her Calculus BC one-on-one when the school couldn't offer the full class
- This extra effort likely contributed significantly to her acceptance to Princeton as an immigrant student
" I now appreciate more than I was as a teenager that on top of teaching all day long, he would use his lunch hours to do that extra class for me is just such a gift. "
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