[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Hyundai making Kendall AI Central [Again]

[Ted Kochanski]

All,

Decades ago there was a nickname "AI Alley" for Kendall Square in Cambridge
that was associated with other names such as Thinking Machines, Marvin,
Muse, etc.  -- that era of AI's promise came and went

Today [well in the past few weeks working up to today's
Presss Announcement] Hyundai which bought a controlling interest in Boston
Dynamics [Spot-the wonder robo-dog, Atlas -- he of Parkour parexcelance] a
bit over a year ago announce a $400M USD investment in the creation of the
[image: image.png]

a new acronym -- BDAII
Which will be housed in Kendall Square -- 145 Broadway [Akamai's new HQ
building] at least temporarily
https://www.bdaiinstitute.com/

This is what they say about themselves:

> Welcome. Our mission is to solve the most important and fundamental
> challenges in AI and Robotics to enable future generations of intelligent
> machines that will help us all live better lives.


Here's what the new boss [same as the old boss -- who stepped away from CEO
of Boston Dynamics and being the emcee for Atlas tricks to lead BDAII] had
to say:

Robotics has come a long way in the past 40 years, but we still have a long
> way to go.
> We need to make robots smarter, more agile and dexterous, and generally
> easier to use — more like people.
> Once we do that, robots and other types of intelligent systems will
> increase productivity, free people from dangerous work, care for the
> disabled, and generally help people live better lives.


We, at the newly formed Boston Dynamics AI Institute, want to accelerate
> that future, creating future generations of robots that are far better than
> anything that exists today.
> To achieve that goal, we plan to hire the best talent we can find and
> support them with the best resources, including equipment, facilities,
> computing, and staff, all wrapped in a culture that thrives on technical
> fearlessness, fundamental thinking, cooperative teamwork, respect for each
> other, and technical fun.


If you have mad skills in robotics, machine learning, computing, software
> or hardware engineering and want to make a difference in the future of AI
> and robotics, consider joining us on what I expect to be an important and
> gratifying journey.


             — Marc Raibert, Executive Director

Couple that commitment by Hyundai with this nexus:
 the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab [an MIT- IBM shared effort which is on one side
of Kendall Square  https://mitibmwatsonailab.mit.edu/ ]
and the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing [focused on the
global opportunities and challenges presented by the ubiquity of computing
— across industries and academic disciplines  — and by the rise of
artificial intelligence -- with a 1B$ founded around a $350 million gift
from Stephen Schwarzman] not quite 4 years in the making] and just now
building a home on the edge of Kendall Square across from the main MIT
academic complex

You'd have to say AI Alley is back with a vengeance

from a story in Robotics & Innovation
https://www.roboticsandinnovation.co.uk/partnerships/hyundai-and-boston-dynamics-to-invest-us400m-in-new-ai-institute.html
Hyundai and Boston Dynamics to invest US$400m in new AI institute
By URSULA DALE  August 12, 2022

Car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group has announced the launch of a new
> institute for artificial intelligence (AI) with robotics firm Boston
> Dynamics.
> The research-first facility was designed to combine university research
> labs with corporate development to work across four major areas: cognitive
> AI, athletic AI, organic hardware design and ethics and policy.
> “Our mission is to create future generations of advanced robots and
> intelligent machines that are smarter, more agile, perceptive and safer
> than anything that exists today,” said Marc Raibert, executive director of
> Boston Dynamics’ AI Institute.
> “The unique structure of the institute — top talent focused on fundamental
> solutions with sustained funding and excellent technical support — will
> help us create robots that are easier to use, more productive, able to
> perform a wider variety of tasks and that are safer working with people.”
> The hub will be based in the Kendall Square research community in
> Cambridge, Massachusetts. The centre is intended to house AI and robotics
> researchers, software and hardware engineers and technicians with a range
> of experience.



  More Later

Ted

Thaddeus Paul Kochanski, Ph.D. [Ted]
Sensors Signals Systems
Lexington, MA, USA
email: tedpk at alum.mit.edu
tel (+1) 781 861 6167
cel 781 507 5426 [USA  ONLY]
linkedin.com/in/kochanski-tpk-sss
Skype: Tedpkphd
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