- World-renowned AI scholars Tomaso A. Poggio and Daniela L. Rus to join Hyundai Motor Group’s AI Technology Advisory Group
- Poggio and Rus to consult on planning future AI-based projects; establishment of AI research organizations; and new business opportunities such as robotics and healthcare
- Hyundai Motor Group expects to enhance AI capabilities to rev up development of future vehicles and secure sustainable growth model

–Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has recruited world-renowned scholars in artificial intelligence, Tomaso A. Poggio and Daniela L. Rus, to help steer its future artificial intelligence development as part of its AI Technology Advisory Group.

As leading minds in the AI field, they will work with Hyundai staff at the advisory group, offering outside expert counsel for planning and engineering the company’s overall AI investment, research and development.

Hyundai Motor Group established the advisory group, which consists of many experts in the field. Using AI, the advisory group is tasked with consulting on (1) the planning of new AI-based technology strategies and business opportunities, (2) the establishment of global research organizations, and (3) investments for securing AI-related research infrastructure.

To pioneer the future of sustainable mobility, HMG is undergoing an ambitious transformation from an automotive manufacturer to Smart Mobility Solution Provider and it is invested and engaged in various projects and collaborations covering AI, autonomous driving, electrification and Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

The recruitment of prominent AI professionals is expected to elevate and strengthen Hyundai Motor Group’s expertise in AI technology research in myriad ways, helping HMG proactively respond to the growing competition in future vehicle development, all of which is essential for sustainable growth.

“It is highly meaningful for me to work together with world-leading minds in artificial intelligence and explore ways to incorporate AI technology in the mobility industry,” said Jeong Hee Kim, Vice President and Head of AIRS Company at Hyundai Motor Company. “Hyundai Motor Group will continue to develop technologies and cooperate with diverse global institutions to become a frontrunner in the future mobility industry.”

Professor Tomaso A. Poggio is currently the Eugene McDermott Professor at the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Director, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines; member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and since 2000, member of the faculty of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

Poggio is considered one of the world's most distinguished scholars in neural network research and AI applications. He has been working on the development and analysis of human visual systems into theoretical models and won the American Society for Neuroscience Swatz Prize in theoretical computational neuroscience. Christoph Koch, CEO and chief science officer of the Allen Institute; Amnon Shashua, CTO and founder of Mobileye; and Demis Hassabis, CEO and founder of DeepMind are some of his most well-known disciples.

Daniela L. Rus is currently the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been researching various forms of robotics and autonomous driving to improve human life. In recognition of her research achievements, she was selected as the winner of the MacArthur Fellowship awarded by the MacArthur Foundation in the U.S. and was appointed a member of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Committee on Science and Technology in April this year

Since the formation of the advisory group, Hyundai Motor Group has exchanged opinions with its advisors on various new businesses opportunities, including robotics, advancement of AI models and healthcare mobility solutions as well as ways to improve quality of vehicles.

The two sides are collaborating in diverse areas, including improving the learning efficiency of the AI-based deep learning image recognition technology using limited data (Few-shot Learning); acquiring the technology verifying to the user the rationale behind an AI-based recognition (eXplainable AI, or XAI); and the technology that simultaneously reflects newly-generated data in training AI model and interpretation.

On robotics, the advisory group is offering Hyundai Motor Group counsel on the prospects, ripple effects and potential partners of the robotics industry. The two sides plan to materialize their project direction for the robotics business, which can be synergized with HMG’s internally possessed technologies.

In addition, HMG and the advisory group are collaborating under diverse initiatives, including (1) potential locations for its AI research organization, (2) AI research topics related to mobility businesses, and (3) new research partner candidates for external collaboration. With the cooperation with the advisory group, HMG has been able to plan a roadmap for maximizing synergies in its open innovation strategy at Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore, which incorporates AIR Center, an organization dedicated to AI research and development in Singapore. The AIR Center will collaborate with AIRS Company, an organization dedicated to AI research and development at HMG.