LG inaugurates first off-shore AI research center in the US

LG AI Research announces the inauguration of its very first research and development office overseas. The company expanded its global AI research ecosystem to North America by launching the "LG AI Research Center, Ann Arbor" facility in Michigan this week.

LG AI Research said that it has opened its first US-based R&D center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, so it can hire skilled workers in the area and push for the development of more cutting-edge innovative technologies. The said new center is the company's first office outside of South Korea, so it is now it is LG AI's first global research unit.

According to The Korea Times, the new LG AI Research Center in Michigan will be led by Lee Hong Lak, an elite artificial intelligence (AI) scholar. On his LinkedIn profile, he is also the senior vice president and chief scientist at LG AI Research and an associate professor of CSE at U. Michigan.

Lee is expected to lead the research center and use advanced machine learning to take electronics gadgets and digital services to the next level. It was added that the facility would also focus more on sophisticated forms of AI-based systems, and this is referring to machines with the capacity to reason and make judgments.

Prior to the opening of LG's AI research unit, it was said that it has inked a business deal with the University of Michigan AI Lab for joint research projects. The Korean company also chose this location as the U-M is considered one of the best AI research facilities in the world. In fact, it was included in Forbes' "10 Best AI And Data Science Undergraduate Courses For 2021."

Moreover, the area where the UM-Ann Arbor is located is also close to headquarters and plants of three major automakers - General Motors, Chrysler Stellantis, and Ford. This strategic location makes it most favorable for industrial-educational collaboration.

Meanwhile, during the opening ceremony for LG AI Research's office earlier this week, nine professors in AI research at the University of Michigan have graced the event. Some of the attendees include the University of Michigan's College of Engineering's associate dean, Eric Michielssen, and Richard H. Orenstein, division chair of Computer Science and Engineering, Michael Wellman.

"Our faculty and students are excited to strengthen and deepen the existing cooperation with LG AI Research, to advance highly complex and interdisciplinary AI research, in areas like machine learning, natural language processing, and compositional task generalization," Wellman said in a press release.

Michielssen also added, "Through our partnership with LG AI, students and faculty will be able to trade expertise with our counterparts at one of the most innovative AI research centers in the world."