Editor's note: Many universities in China have collaborated with enterprises and research institutes to set up schools for artificial intelligence in recent years. It is a significant step toward fostering AI talents and driving higher education reform. Hu Qinghua, dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence at Tianjin University, explains how these institutes bridge academia and industry to China Daily's Wang Kan. Excerpts follow:

Q1: How are artificial intelligence schools different from traditional university departments, and why are they significant for higher education system reform?

A: There are three prominent differences between traditional university departments and the new AI schools. First, the training orientation of AI schools focuses on real-world business problems and socioeconomic needs, breaking away from traditional disciplinary teaching. Second, AI schools allocate resources specifically for computing power, data and industrial projects, and often require unconventional investment. By contrast, traditional departments have to balance their resource distribution across multiple disciplines. Third, AI schools have more flexible management mechanisms and operate with higher decision-making efficiency.

AI schools play an important role in driving higher education reform by breaking down disciplinary barriers, deepening industry-university-research integration and optimizing personalized vocational training. In doing so, they provide a distinctive model for talent cultivation in cutting-edge fields such as original research and scientific application.

Q2: How do AI schools and universities differentiate their rights and responsibilities in their cooperation agreements?

A: About 100 universities in China have established AI schools. The cooperation framework should clearly specify their respective roles. The universities are responsible for student recruitment, undergraduate training management and academic degree approval, while the AI schools take charge of curriculum design and research practice. In some regions in eastern China, joint consultation mechanisms ensure smooth collaboration between schools and enterprises. However, there is an urgent need to formulate efficient management plans for the coordinated cultivation of special student groups, such as those with interdisciplinary capabilities. Details relating to the college's responsibilities and cross-institutional cooperation still require further clarification.

AI schools benefit from the high-quality student resources of universities while the universities leverage the innovative training models of these schools to enhance their AI talent cultivation capabilities.

Q3: What benefits do universities expect from building such AI institutions?

A: With AI technology revolutionizing various sectors, universities expect long-term access to the computing power and industrial projects of AI schools, which will support their teachers and students in scientific research. Through the innovative capabilities of AI schools, universities aim to improve the integrated system for talent cultivation. Joint projects and academic exchanges help deepen cooperation with other partners, produce valuable research outcomes and boost disciplinary competitiveness.

Additionally, the rise of AI provides new opportunities for talent cultivation in colleges. Universities anticipate preferential policies from educational departments and favorable treatment in applications, facilitating the rapid development of their AI disciplines.

Q4: What are the bottlenecks in developing university-based AI schools in China, and what can be done to remove these hurdles?

A: Discrepancies in management systems and academic cultures between universities and AI schools lead to inefficiencies in communication and resource allocation. High coordination costs hinder the curriculum and practice integration. What's more, unimplemented mechanisms for the transformation of achievements and benefit distribution also affect the enthusiasm of teachers and students, making it difficult to meet the personalized training needs of students with interdisciplinary backgrounds.

To optimize the effectiveness of AI schools, universities and schools should create an interdisciplinary and AI-enabling environment, set up working groups for coordination and redefine cooperation agreements. Schools also need to smooth their information release channels and launch ambitious AI+ strategic initiatives to adjust their communication and achievement evaluation.

Q5: What kind of policy support do universities expect for establishing AI schools?

A: Universities seek preferential treatment in resource allocation from educational departments to expand undergraduate admissions and employment of high-quality students, improve AI-focused selection and ensure the accuracy of results.

They also need resource-sharing policies to establish long-term mechanisms for sharing computing power and data resources, which would reduce the access barriers for teachers and students. Moreover, scientific research policy support is essential for boosting research projects and ensuring that achievements are recognized in university assessments and evaluations.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.