This post originally appeared on the Hyperbolic Medium blog on June 6th, 2024
Yi Ma, a renowned computer scientist and professor with over 100 peer-reviewed articles and numerous accolades in Computer Science, is now an advisor to Hyperbolic. Through his advisership, he will help drive Hyperbolic's mission to achieve transparent and verifiable AI.
Hyperbolic is thrilled to welcome Yi Ma as an advisor to our team. Yi is a world-renowned computer scientist with artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, and computer vision expertise. He is an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science professor at UC Berkeley and the Chair Professor at the Institute of Data Science and Department of Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong.
Ma’s research precedes him, ranking among the world’s most cited researchers in AI and computing. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and is the author of seven influential textbooks, making significant contributions to the field.
Prof. Yi Ma’s recent work on transformer architecture focuses on creating AI models that are both efficient and interpretable. Ma’s innovative transformer design, “CRATE” simplifies complex data into more manageable forms, enhancing processing speed and efficiency. This approach ensures that AI models are not only faster but more transparent and easier to verify, directly addressing the black box problem. Ma emphasizes the importance of transparency in AI, stating, "We'd better understand what we have created; black box is not an option" highlighting the necessity for interpretable AI models.
Prof. Ma founded Engram in 2023 to bridge the gap between his research and industry implementation and advance the state of the art in AI. The company is dedicated to creating a simple, self-consistent, autonomous, intelligent, closed-loop AI system with comprehensive perception and prediction capabilities. Autonomous learning aims to pave the way for artificial general intelligence (AGI) development.
At Hyperbolic, we recognize that the bias in AI models is associated with the black box nature of centralized and non-transparent AI systems developed by major tech companies. Prof. Ma and Engram’s work is on a different track. Still, his expertise in creating transparency in AI models makes him a perfect advisor for us because we share the same mission: to build a future where AI is accessible, trustworthy, transparent, and unbiased. With his advice and potential collaboration with Engram in the future, we aim to enhance the transparency and verifiability of our entire AI services pipeline.
“Hyperbolic Labs is at the forefront of democratizing AI through open-source innovation, bridging the gap between advanced research and global accessibility. Their work is pivotal in shaping a future where AI tools and resources are as universal and freely accessible as information on the web. I'm excited to contribute to their transformative efforts in making AI open and available to all.”
Prof. Yi Ma • Head of CS & Chair Professor in AI at HKU & CS Professor at UC Berkeley
His research breakthroughs have given Ma three of the most prestigious academic honors in Computer Science. His credentials include being named an IEEE Fellow in 2013, an ACM Fellow in 2017, and a SIAM Fellow in 2020.
“I can't express how thrilled we are to have Professor Yi Ma join us as an advisor. His expertise and insights in Computer Science and AI are unparalleled. We are confident his advice will significantly accelerate our mission to democratize AI through the Open Access AI Cloud. ”
Jasper Zhang • Co-Founder & CEO at Hyperbolic
Our mission aligns strongly with Ma’s overall vision for more transparency in AI, and we are convinced his research foundations will be vital in helping us achieve open-access AI for all.
About Hyperbolic
Hyperbolic is a leading provider of decentralized AI computing and inference services, pioneering open access to AI for developers and researchers worldwide. With a mission to break down barriers that limit AI’s potential, Hyperbolic believes in a future where AI technology is universally accessible, empowering every individual and community with the tools to innovate, create, and advance our world. The Hyperbolic founding team is led by award-winning Math and AI researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington.
