Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun enters with a robot dog named Spot to present the company's robotics vision at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, U.S. in January. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

By Kim Hyun-bin

Hyundai Motor Group announced Friday the launch of the Boston Dynamics AI Institute with the goal of making fundamental advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and intelligent machines. Hyundai and Boston Dynamics will make an initial investment of more than $400 million in the new institute, which will be led by Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics.

As a research-first organization, the institute will work on solving the most important and difficult challenges facing the creation of advanced robots. Elite talent across AI, robotics, computing, machine learning and engineering will develop technology for robots and use it to advance their capabilities and usefulness.

The institute's culture is designed to combine the best features of university research labs with those of corporate development centers, while working in four core technical areas: cognitive AI, athletic AI, organic hardware design as well as 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," Raibert said. "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 are safer working with people."

In addition to the institute, Hyundai Motor Group announced separate plans to establish a Global Software Center to lead the development of its software capabilities and technologies and to enhance its capabilities to advance the development of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs). The center will be established on the basis of 42dot, autonomous driving software and mobility platform startup recently acquired by the Korean automotive group.