For a PhD in CS, in the area of Artificial Intelligence, which is better? What are the reputation of both? Is UW-Madison reputed in CS, like NUS? (I am asking this bcos compared to other US universities, I observed a less brand value of UW-Madison, on social medias like this and Quora. Am I wrong?) Also, which shpuld be preferable among these two?
This site mainly discusses undergraduate education. Wisconsin’s strength is in its graduate school. Social media is no way to pick a PhD program.
You lost me at “brand value”
I gently suggest that you look at the faculty, what they teach, the strengths of the two departments.
“Brand Value” is less important to my mind than what you will be learning. In the end what you can DO will determine the trajectory of your career. That and personal values and character, and taste.
Also: Can you hack the cold winters or hot humid weather?
For a PhD, you need to be looking at the individual faculty members and their research projects. That is why you choose to apply to A, B, or C, and that is why you would ultimately choose A over B or C once admitted and you have received information about support for your PHD studies.
If you haven’t done that most basic research (and yes, Dr. Most-important-on-the-planet-for-what-you-want-to-study might turn out to be at a place you had never heard of before), then you aren’t ready to apply to PhD programs. So get off the social media, and head on over to scholar.google.com and start looking for groups that are doing the kind of research you want to do.