AMAZON TOP SCIENTIST TO SPEARHEAD ALIBABA’S AI DRIVE

Ren Xiaofeng， former senior principal scientist at Amazon.com Inc. and a Chinese citizen， has taken on the role of chief scientist and deputy dean at Alibabas Institute of Data Science and Technologies， its global research and development center， Alibaba confi rmed on June 26.

Ren will spearhead Alibabas efforts in artifi cial intelligence （AI）， a move that will propel its socalled “NASA plan，” announced in March， to double up on technology research.

In his four years at Amazon， from 2013 to 2017， Ren was the lead scientist at Amazon Go， using computer vision and machine learning to transform retailing. The research led to the launch of an automatic check-out system that eliminates unnecessary and annoying waiting for customers. Prior to Amazon， Ren also had deep experience in vision-related projects at Intel Lab.

Ren， 42， received his bachelors degree in computer science from Zhejiang University in 1997， his masters degree from Stanford University in 2000 and his PhD degree in computer science from the University of California， Berkeley in 2006.

Preventing Fraudulent Commercials

Guangming Daily June 23

A woman who claims in various TV advertisements to be a medical expert belonging to different medical institutions around the country has attracted widespread attention recently.

Many Internet users have dubbed her an artist of fraudulent medical commercials.

Worse still， the medical products she promotes pose health risks to patients. One cannot help asking why a fake medical expert manages to escape punishment.

According to the new Advertisement Law， TV stations would be punished if they promote medicine， healthcare products or medical equipment in programs about how to keep healthy.

However， in reality， loose supervision has made it possible for fake commercials to thrive. In addition， driven by the pursuit of profi t， TV stations have failed to block such fraudulent commercials.

As China becomes an aging society， its not unusual for senior citizens to fall victim to fake advertisements. If seniors miss opportunities for treatment due to such advertisements， the outcome will be serious.

Therefore， supervisory departments should assume their responsibilities by not only detecting illegal advertisements， but also expanding the channels for receiving reports of those advertisements. TV stations should increase their sense of responsibility and not open their doors to fake commercials for the purpose of profi t.

Booming Reading Clubs

Oriental Outlook June 29

Both online and offline reading clubs have thrived in China in recent years. Offl ine reading clubs often distinguish themselves by their focus on different types of books. They can be organized by media outlets， bookstores， publishing houses or universities.

Such platforms not only enable participants to improve their knowledge， but also provide an opportunity for people of different professions and educational backgrounds to communicate with each other. They can also contribute to the governments ongoing efforts to promote reading nationwide.

However， overreliance on the organizers and lack of a professional operation model and funding sources may threaten the survival of such organizations.

Reading clubs that have emerged on social networking platforms may help to solve the problem of offl ine reading clubs. Online reading clubs hold lectures or discussions on social networking platforms or share videos or audio with subscribers. They make profi ts from advertisements， e-commerce or selling content such as online courses.

For instance， the WeChat account Read at Ten has collaborated with multiple publishing houses to sell their books online and reaped considerable profi t.

Online reading clubs offer content according to the needs of their targeted readers. For instance， the Spiritual Wealth Club， whose subscribers are primarily women aged above 25， provides books on family， career and psychology.

Some online reading clubs are also engaged in offl ine activities to improve their popularity. For instance， the Spiritual Wealth Club has established nearly 600 branches at home and abroad and held activities for members to share their experiences of reading.

National Anthem Law

Legal Daily June 23

The draft law on Chinas national anthem， March of the Volunteers， was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress， Chinas top legislative body， for its fi rst reading on June 22. The draft law has specifi c regulations on seven situations when the national anthem should be played， such as at important sporting and diplomatic events.

A national anthem refl ects a nations spirit and ethos. For several decades， the patriotism reflected in Chinas national anthem has encouraged the Chinese people to move ahead.

However， disrespect for the national anthem is also prevalent. For instance， it is used in advertisements， with its speed changed； it is used for mobile phone ringtones； and even more intolerably， its played at wedding ceremonies and funerals. These practices have resulted from a lack of respect for the national anthem.