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

[Robert Primak]

 This could have been summarized in two or three short paragraphs. There is no point in sending out entire articles and chains of articles to the whole group. This extended discussion may belong in the Extended Topics section of our mailing list. 
I do not make decisions about length or other criteria for the LCTG mailing list. I can only suggest general guidelines. 
-- Bob Primak

    On Friday, August 12, 2022 at 06:13:23 PM EDT, Ted Kochanski <tedpkphd at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 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 

a new acronym -- BDAIIWhich will be housed in Kendall Square -- 145 Broadway [Akamai's new HQ building] at least temporarilyhttps://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 & Innovationhttps://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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