Judea Pearl, chancellor’s professor of computer science at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, and CS Distinguished Visiting Professor, has received the 2021 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the information and communication technologies category “for laying the foundations of modern artificial intelligence, so computer systems can process uncertainty and relate causes to effects."

Pearl’s research has paved the way for AI tech, such as driverless cars and voice recognition software. Through his invention of Bayesian networks, which enables computers to reason with uncertainty, Pearl became a giant in the field of artificial intelligence. He is also credited with developing a calculus of causation that allows empirical scientists to quantify and discover cause-and-effect relationships from statistical data and auxiliary knowledge.

Congratulations to Prof. Pearl!
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