Ben (Simiao) Ren, Ph.D.
Hi, welcome! I’m Ben.
My motto: “Imagine a world with you and without you — what’s the difference?”
ScamAI
I’m the Co-Founder of ScamAI (scam.ai). We see the incredible power of AI technology, but also the harm it can bring to society — deepfakes eroding trust, AI-generated fraud deceiving real people, synthetic media undermining truth. We started ScamAI because we believe the trust pillar of human society is worth fighting for.
We’re beginning by combating AI fakeness. By detecting deepfakes, fraudulent GenAI content, and AI-manipulated media, we aim to preserve the foundation of trust that holds communities, institutions, and relationships together. We raised $2.5M and are part of the Berkeley SkyDeck accelerator (UC Berkeley). Our platform serves financial services, dating/social apps, media organizations, government agencies, and insurance firms — anywhere trust matters.
Meta
Before starting ScamAI, I was a Senior Research Scientist at Meta (2023–2025) in the Meta AI department (later the Meta Superintelligence Lab). I worked primarily on two areas:
- AI Personalization — Pioneered work in enhancing user experience with personalized interest modeling and memory, making AI interactions feel more human and contextually aware.
- Large-Scale Recommendation Systems — Worked on feed ranking and Messenger recommendation systems at Meta’s scale, optimizing how billions of users discover content.
Duke University
I earned my Machine Learning Ph.D. from Duke University in just 3 years (2020–2023) — I was offered and couldn’t resist the Meta opportunity. I worked in the Applied Machine Learning Lab with Prof. Leslie Collins and Prof. Jordan Malof on deep learning for inverse design — applying ML to metamaterial design, energy systems, and remote sensing. Nearly 1,000 citations across 30+ publications at top venues including NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, AAAI, WACV, Advanced Functional Materials, and Nanophotonics.
Where I've Built
Check out my CV, publications, or learn more about ScamAI.