Google DeepMind director Cao Liangliang makes a boomerang return to Hong Kong

2-MIN READ2-MIN0ListenPublished: 2:00pm, 8 Jul 2026Updated: 2:12pm, 8 Jul 2026In a homecoming for Hong Kong’s Artificial Intelligence community, Cao Liangliang – former principal engineer and director at Google-deepmind" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="29115" data-entity-type="organization">Google DeepMind, IEEE Fellow and architect of foundational AI systems at Google, Apple and IBM – has returned to the city after a two-decade absence.His appointment as Chair Professor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) last week completes an intellectual boomerang trajectory that began under renowned mentor Tang Xiao’ou at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2003.From Cao’s early work at Tang’s pioneering Multimedia Laboratory, from which the AI company SenseTime emerged, to leading roles shaping Silicon Valley’s most advanced AI – including Gemini, Apple Intelligence and Vision Pro – he has built global influence in machine learning that could energise Hong Kong’s academic ecosystem.03:51Space computing: what is it, why move computing into orbit and where does China stand?“Returning to Hong Kong is a full-circle moment for me,” Cao announced on his personal website.