Element AI has announced a partnership with South Korean multinational LG Electronics . The partnership will be focused on a series of R&D programs related to artificial intelligence.
The companies signed a memorandum of understanding Monday, at CES in Las Vegas, outlining the partnership, which will also see Element AI co-develop solutions and products for LG. The partnership will be rolled out in various steps. The first phase, which has been underway for about a year and is ongoing, is a joint research initiative into a specific AI development framework. The next phase will use that framework to speed up the development of AI-powered products.
“It is our responsibility to consider the importance of the human experience whilst pushing the boundaries.”
“The development of this strategic partnership is an important indicator that industry leaders like [LG Electronics] are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges with operationalizing AI particularly at the point of interface with human users,” said JF Gagné, Element AI’s CEO and co-founder. “As pioneers in the field, it is our responsibility to consider the importance of the human experience whilst pushing the boundaries of research and development.”
LG Electronics said the framework being researched by the two companies proposes four individual levels of AI experience. This structure is meant to guide the industry and promote responsible AI development. Both companies are betting on this new framework to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence and generate more value for consumers.
The four levels of AI experience are efficiency, personalization, reasoning, and exploration. Efficiency is where specific device and system functions can be automated through simple commands, while personalization focuses on pattern-learning to improve and customize device functions. Reasoning, the third level, means an AI will use causality learning through a system made up of different devices. The ultimate destination for artificial intelligence is exploration, meaning AI-enabled systems will be able to develop new capabilities through forming and testing hypotheses.
“As pioneers in the field of AI, it is our responsibility to consider the importance of the human experience whilst pushing the boundaries of AI research and development,” said Gagné. “Together with LG Electronics, we hope that this work helps to set forth standards and principles that guide AI practitioners to consider a human-centric approach when building the future.”
News of the partnership comes a month after Element AI launched a standalone product, its first since the startup officially came out of ‘stealth’ mode earlier this year with a cybersecurity product for National Bank. Later in the year, Element AI closed a $200 million CAD Series B.
Although 2019 was full of some big developments for the startup, concerns over commercializing AI have also beset the company. Around the time of its Series B, Gagné told BetaKit Element AI’s path to commercialization has been made more difficult and time-consuming given the fact that the startup is leading a completely new category in tech. Since then, the startup has announced partnerships with Mozilla and Japanese automotive company Aisin Seiki.
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“We greatly value the opportunity to work with [LG Electronics] on accelerating their AI journey and together we hope to set standards and principles that guide AI practitioners to consider a human-centric approach when building the future,” said Gagné.
LG Electronics has also been working to integrate its AI research strategy and AI-powered products under the ThinQ brand, adding that this partnership will help the company’s position as a thought leader in the AI space.
“We want to ensure that [we] are developing AI technology in a way that is meaningful to the customers we serve,” said LGE CTO and president IP Park. “This partnership with Element AI ensures that LG is bringing the right expertise to bear on this huge opportunity, to lead the industry for the responsible and human-centric development of AI products and solutions.”
Image source Linebox Studio