CHONG SU YING
DATA SCIENCE & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
TURING AI SCHOLARS PROGRAMME
In 2022, as the advent of ChatGPT began changing the way we think and work, Chong Su Ying decided to pursue a career in artificial intelligence (AI). It was just the choice of which university – local or overseas. After weighing her options, she chose NTU’s Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) programme.
Two factors helped her make up her mind. First, the NTU Turing AI Scholars Programme offered with DSAI, with its enticing financial and non-financial perks. Second, the unique allure of the NTU campus, which made it the perfect environment for her academic and personal growth.
The Turing programme seeks to groom potential AI leaders through mentorship from world-class AI experts. Doing her research, Su Ying found out that NTU is a pioneer of AI research and academic studies in Singapore, so the promises made in the Turing programme are, in AI terms, not confabulation.
After her A-levels, Su Ying spent six months as a full-time intern at AI Singapore, a national initiative that aims to anchor Singapore’s AI capabilities. She loved every minute of her experience there and decided to enrol in DSAI. The fact that the Founding Executive Chairman of AI Singapore is NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua was icing on the cake.
“NTU provides a stimulating intellectual environment for learning and academic collaboration,” says Su Ying, who continues as a part-time intern in AI Singapore to add experience to classroom learning.
“Each time you walk into NTU, you feel like you are entering a true university, the real corridors of learning. And I like the profs. They may not be your assigned mentors but will still look after you and sponsor you for projects and competitions.”
A standout feature of the Turing programme is the Masterclasses, in which AI experts from top global universities or companies give lectures. Su Ying’s first Masterclass was conducted by Oxford professor Peter Millican, a chess grandmaster.
She thought he came straight out of a Harry Potter movie – except that he did not speak in riddles but used words that simplify AI philosophy.
Su Ying also likes the vibe of the NTU campus, with its lush environs and award-winning architecture. So what if some give the campus the “Pulau NTU” moniker?
She sees it as a good thing. To Su Ying, a university campus should be like a second home, and living on “Pulau NTU”, she lacks nothing.
If not in class, the library or the games room, Su Ying is often found with NTU friends at A Hot Hideout, the popular mala joint started in 2020 by NTU undergrads.
“A Hot Hideout is an NTU startup that is now popular all over Singapore,” Su Ying beams.
Before the ChatGPT boom, Su Ying wanted to study finance. She can still follow this path because machine learning is revolutionising the finance industry. She aims to specialise in AI banking.
Su Ying winds down with a run at NTU’s Sports & Recreation Centre at least once a week.
She looks forward to her third year in the Turing programme, where students spend a full year abroad, with one semester as an exchange student and another as an intern in a leading company. She hopes to be based in Silicon Valley, the hub of AI, and maybe do an MBA overseas in future.
Su Ying jokes that she will then venture forward and finally leave her beloved Pulau NTU.
This story was published in the Jan-Feb 2025 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
