Leading artificial intelligence experts Dr. Sebastian Seung and Dr. Daniel Lee (pictured left and right, respectively) are joining Samsung Research as part of the company’s latest efforts to bolster its ranks and maintain the competitiveness of its AI projects, the firm announced Tuesday. The duo will be involved in Samsung’s fundamental research and development endeavors pertaining to AI with the goal of reaching new breakthroughs in machine learning and related technologies, all of which are ultimately meant to benefit the manufacturer’s consumer electronics portfolio and other offerings.
The pair already collaborated on machine learning algorithms designed for nonnegative matrix factorization, having devised solutions meant to mimic the manner in which the human brain operates. Dr. Seung himself is one of the pioneers of connectomics, a science filed dedicated to reconstructing the brain’s wiring diagrams with AI technologies. Both have extensive experience in robotics, with Dr. Lee previously also being involved in self-driving car projects. The new hirings come shortly after Samsung Research established five AI Centers spanning three continents, having founded such facilities in the United States, Canada, South Korea, Russia, and the United Kingdom. The world’s largest smartphone manufacturer has been increasing its AI focus in recent years but is still believed to be behind industry leader Google and several other firms.
The Seoul-based tech giant is presently pursuing a near-term goal of making all of its new appliances “smart” and Internet-enabled by 2020, CEO Kim Hyun-suk said late last month. The company’s next major consumer-facing AI solution is expected to debut this summer in the form of Bixby 2.0, a significantly revamped version of its digital assistant which is likely to be pre-loaded on the Galaxy Note 9. The Android flagship itself will be launching in early August before going on sale several weeks later, as per recent reports. Samsung Electronics is also expected to debut its first Bixby-compatible smart speaker in the second half of the year, with the gadget being developed in collaboration with its subsidiary Harman Kardon.