NEWS & MEDIA

AI legend among visiting experts backing ISB students for design success

By Nick Yates, ISB Communications

Some of the most prominent figures in China’s design and art scenes have praised the teaching of these subjects at the International School of Beijing (ISB).

ISB held an official opening for its new Middle School/High School Design Center last Thursday, with help from some very special guests: Kai-Fu Lee, Daniel Wang, and Jessica Zhang. With more than 50 million followers on social media and a professional history including executive positions at Google China, Microsoft, and Apple, Kai-Fu Lee is one of the world’s most influential figures in artificial intelligence.

Daniel Wang founded the Simply H consultancy for hotel developers. Over 35 years, he has been responsible for more than 30 hotels, bank headquarters, offices, and residential buildings.

Jessica Zhang is the director of Beijing’s Today Art Museum. She is one of many illustrious alumni of ISB, having been a student here from 2003 to 2007.

All three gave speeches at the MS/HS Design Center opening and took questions from students.

“Let students find their passion. If you do something you are passionate about, something you cannot stop thinking about, you cannot help but be good at it,” advised Kai-Fu Lee during a talk that reflected ISB’s educational philosophy of giving students freedom to explore.

“Life is too short, we need to do things we like to do,” said Dr. Lee, who has dedicated much of his career to education. He is chairman of Sinovation Ventures, a venture capital firm focusing on developing the next generation of local high-tech companies.

Design Center opening collage

His speech was about the future of AI, and how this fast-developing technology will affect the world of work for students. While automation will take over a lot of human tasks, there are some things robots will never be able to do because they will always lack traits such as creativity, analytical skills, compassion, and empathy, Dr. Lee said. He stressed how important it was for students to cultivate those traits in order to thrive in their careers.  

That was music to the ears of ISB faculty and parents, who have committed to a modern model of education designed to set students up for success in a future we can’t accurately predict. This begins right from enrollment. While the new Design Center specifically serves Middle and High School students, younger learners have access to the Elementary Design Lab, with age-appropriate tools and workbenches built at heights for equal accessibility.

As part of ISB’s extensive design and art programs across the school, students have been learning in the school’s new MS/HS Design Center, which also incorporates some visual arts facilities, since the start of this academic year. Among a number of stunning buildings and spaces added to the campus for the 2020-2021 academic year, the Design Center is a centralized facility for showcasing design and engineering projects. Designers can work in a robotics and electronics lab, fabrication lab, finishing lab, three High School art classrooms, and three flexible collaborative spaces. This area of the school provides inspiring spaces to facilitate interdisciplinary and project-based learning.

“I am extremely envious of the students here and their access to this beautiful Design Center. I could have been better at what I do now if I had had access to this facility!” said Daniel Wang.

“This amazing facility will allow you to become a greater designer, builder, architect, artist,” he added.

Jessica Zhang also endorsed ISB’s art programs and said, “I hope ISB continues to inspire and support student artists because it’s truly a beautiful thing to be surrounded by art.”

The new Design Center has been positioned right in the middle of the school, very visible to passers-by, as ISB continues to encourage students to make art and show off their work to the community through regular open galleries and shows.

As Kai-Fu Lee, Daniel Wang, Jessica Zhang, and all the other guests found at Thursday’s event, ISB has placed a huge amount of emphasis on art and design within its diverse programs. ISB students couldn’t be better set up to develop their skills in these vital areas.

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