Dr. Ling Shao is a globally recognized computer scientist and AI entrepreneur, known for pioneering contributions to computer vision, multimodal artificial intelligence, and AI for healthcare. Over the past two decades, he has held senior roles across academia and industry, published extensively in leading AI conferences and journals, and led impactful projects in generative AI, smart cities, and AIoT.

In recognition of his contributions to the UAE’s scientific and technological advancement, Dr. Shao was awarded the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinguishment by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Today, he continues to play a central role in shaping the Middle East’s AI ecosystem, translating research into real-world applications that are transforming industries.

TECHx Media sat down with Dr. Shao to discuss his journey, research, and the region’s AI future.

Academia, Research, and Industry: A Connected Cycle

Asked how he has managed to stay at the forefront of academia, research, and industry, Dr. Shao explained that success lies in building a seamless cycle between knowledge creation and real-world impact.

“In academia, we focus on breakthroughs and training talent. In research labs, we push technical boundaries. In industry, we scale those ideas into products that benefit society. When these come together, real-world problems inspire science, science drives innovation, and deployed solutions provide insights for future research. That loop keeps us moving forward,” he said.

His strategy for AI and AIoT follows the same principle: start from real-world needs, not technology for its own sake. By listening first, his teams have developed lightweight edge models, multimodal systems for complex environments, and scalable architectures that balance performance with interpretability.

Before moving to the Middle East, Dr. Shao worked at Philips Research in the Netherlands, then held senior academic roles in the UK. In 2018, he was invited to Abu Dhabi to support the UAE’s national AI vision. There, he founded the Inception Institute of Artificial Intelligence (IIAI) and served as its CEO. He later proposed and led the creation of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world’s first university dedicated solely to AI, and served as its founding Provost and EVP, while recruiting the university’s permanent leadership team.

He also became Chief Scientist and employee #1 at Group 42 (G42), helping to build an ecosystem that linked research, education, and industry.

“What brought me here was not only the invitation, but also the region’s unique mix of vision, resources, and openness,” he said. “The UAE and its neighbors are pursuing bold agendas like Centennial 2071 and Vision 2030, placing AI at the center. This is one of the few regions where ideas can move rapidly from concept to implementation.”

Research Highlights in Multimodal AI and Healthcare

Dr. Shao is ranked as the top scientist in multimodal AI and AI for healthcare on Google Scholar. His work spans Computer Vision, Generative AI, Multimodal AI, Vision and Language, and AI for Healthcare.

In multimodal AI, his team introduced the Pyramid Vision Transformer (PVT) in 2021, the first Transformer backbone for dense prediction tasks such as detection and segmentation. This innovation established Transformers as the preferred architecture for visual and multimodal systems. His group also developed frameworks like MPRNet and MIRNet for image restoration, essential for high-quality visual data in real-world scenarios.

In healthcare, his contributions include PraNet, a model for colorectal cancer screening, and Inf-Net, a tool developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to analyze lung infections from CT scans. His work emphasizes not only accuracy but also explainability, ensuring AI complements rather than replaces clinicians.

“Our philosophy is simple,” he noted. “AI must push theoretical boundaries, but also solve pressing real-world problems. Whether through multimodal systems or healthcare applications, research should serve people.”

AI and IoT Ecosystem in the Middle East

Receiving the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal, he said, was both a personal honor and recognition of the UAE’s bold vision.

He sees the region’s AI and IoT ecosystem evolving along distinct dimensions:

• Vision and leadership: Strategies like UAE Centennial 2071 and Saudi Vision 2030 place AI at the core of economic transformation.
• Smart city projects: Initiatives such as NEOM in Saudi Arabia and Expo City Dubai reimagine urban life around AI and IoT.
• Digital infrastructure: Investments in 5G, data centers, and edge computing ensure the region shapes next-generation AIoT applications.
• Agility and openness: The UAE’s inclusiveness, flexible governance, and capital support make it a magnet for global talent and entrepreneurs.

Challenges remain, including nurturing homegrown talent and ensuring governance and trust as AI scales. But overall, he believes the Middle East is moving from adopter to shaper of global AI standards.

Lessons from Science and Startups

Reflecting on his dual experience, Dr. Shao highlighted several guiding principles:

• Clarity of purpose: Whether in research or business, everyone must understand the “why.”
• Respect for pace: Science needs patience, while startups require speed. Both timelines must be balanced.
• Diversity of thought: Breakthroughs happen when researchers, engineers, and business experts collaborate.
• Technology as a means: He emphasizes that technology should always create value for people, not exist as an end in itself.

“Science taught me depth, startups taught me agility. Together, they’ve shaped my leadership style, focused on vision, people, and continuous learning,” he said.

Emerging Technologies

Looking ahead, Dr. Shao sees AI evolving into systems that are more adaptive, embodied, and aligned with human needs.

Near-term priorities:

• Agentic AI that acts as decision-making partners in workflows.
• Embodied AI and robotics that integrate perception, learning, and physical action.
• Efficiency and accessibility, making AI lighter, cheaper, and deployable on edge devices.

Long-term goals:

• True multimodal understanding that unifies text, audio, video, and sensor data.
• World models and causality for reasoning and generalization.
• Human-centered, ethical AI designed to augment people safely and fairly.

Local Talent as the Engine of Innovation

Finally, Dr. Shao emphasized that talent development is the foundation of sustainable innovation. “Technologies evolve quickly, but it is people who create, adapt, and scale them,” he said.

With its young, diverse population, the Middle East has enormous potential. Institutions like MBZUAI nurture local and international talent, while startups give them opportunities to experiment and build. Together with government vision and investment, this creates a full cycle of innovation.

He also highlighted the “magnet effect” of local talent attracting global expertise, creating a fusion of skills and perspectives that strengthens the ecosystem.

“Capital, infrastructure, and policy are enablers, but talent is the multiplier,” he concluded. “By investing in people and creating an open, collaborative environment, the Middle East can become not just a hub for itself, but a contributor to the global AI community.”

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