China’s social networking and gaming giant Tencent establishes Robotics X, an AI lab dedicated to robotics, announced the company’s VP YAO Xing on Thursday at Tencent AI Forum. Robotics X is part of Tencent’s push for the development of its AI Lab.
Yao said the company will appoint the personnel in charge in the following months, adding that heads of the lab will include top scientist. At the same time, Yao didn’t reveal the exact future plan for the lab.
Later in the day, NetEase news reported that ZHANG Zhengyou, chief researcher and research manager at MSR, has resigned from Microsoft where he has worked for 20 years, and is likely to work for Robotics X.
Robotis X Lab is based in Shenzhen and expects to see top talents around the world to join the lab, Tencent told 36Kr, China’s biztech media and also KrASIA parent.
Tencent AI Lab was initiated in April 2016 by YAO with an aim to “make AI everywhere”. According to YAO, Tencent AI Lab has published over 100 papers on top academic journals, as the company seeks to make an influence in both academic and industrial world. The company has come up with Miying, an AI-powered medical imaging tool that helps doctors with the diagnosis.
At the forum, YAO mapped out Tencent AI Lab’s future plan: 1. AI for the general use. 2. Robotics X– a link between the real world and the virtual reality. 3. Medical use of AI technologies.