Recently, the sudden death of 39-year-old Chinese Communist Party youth artificial intelligence expert and Associate Professor Quan Yuhui from the School of Computer Science at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou due to illness has sparked speculation and questioning, as the official statement only mentioned cancer as the cause of death without disclosing specific details.
On January 14, South China University of Technology released an obituary announcing that Quan Yuhui had been diagnosed with cancer and passed away in Guangzhou in the early hours of that day.
The obituary revealed that Quan Yuhui was born on September 8, 1985, a member of the Chinese Communist Party. He obtained his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from South China University of Technology in 2008 and 2013, respectively, and after completing his post-doctoral research at the National University of Singapore in 2016, he served as an Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering at South China University of Technology until his passing.
According to reports from The Paper and Guangzhou Daily, Quan Yuhui had led two projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, two projects funded by the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and one project funded by the Guangzhou Science and Technology Program. He participated in multiple national research projects and was selected in the “Annual Scientific Impact” list of the top 2% of global scientists in 2024.
Following the news of Quan Yuhui’s death, many netizens expressed shock and curiosity about the cause of his death, leading to speculations and even questioning.
Keen-eyed netizens discovered that Quan Yuhui’s last public appearance was on June 13, 2024, when he delivered a speech on “A Brief Discussion on AIGC and Image Restoration” at the 8th Interdisciplinary Youth Academic Salon of South China University of Technology.
From the photos taken at the event, Quan Yuhui appeared to be in good physical and mental condition with no signs of illness, yet he passed away suddenly just over half a year later.
Some netizens speculated whether his death was “related to the vaccine,” “due to overwork,” or even “caused by COVID-19.”
On January 16, a journalist contacted Quan Yuhui’s family, and they confirmed that he passed away on January 14 in Guangzhou due to ineffective medical treatment for his illness, without disclosing the specific cause and detailed treatment process.