LG AI Research opens first overseas base in Michigan

South Korean LG Corp.'s artificial intelligence research institute set up its first overseas base in Michigan to expand its global AI research ecosystem to North America.

The institute said on Wednesday it has opened LG AI Research Center, Ann Arbor. Honglak Lee, Chief Scientist of AI (CSAI) and a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, is heading up the center, while University of Illinois professor Moontae Lee, who joined LG AI Research earlier this year, will participate in the management of the US lab.

The University of Michigan is operating one of the best AI graduate school programs with among the world’s best research capabilities in the sector, according to the U.S. News & World Report.

LG AI Research Center, Ann Arbor is close to the plants and headquarters of major global automakers such as General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., advantageous for industry-academic cooperation.

“Opening of the North American Center is the first step for LG AI Research to enter the global scene beyond South Korea. We will expand our line of sight and stretch our points of contact to universities and research institutes around the world to facilitate top-level research collaborations,” said Honglak Lee.

TO ACTIVELY RECRUIT AI TALENT IN NORTH AMERICA

LG AI Research plans to actively recruit AI talent in North America to develop next-generation AI technology at the US center.

It will advance AI technologies such as deep reinforcement learning, 3D scene understanding, and reasoning with a large-scale language model, as well as bias & fairness related to AI ethics, which are the basis for creating AI that think and judge on their own, alongside the talent recruited from North America.

LG Group expects the US unit to play a leading role in expanding the scope of LG AI Research. The group plans to invest 200 billion won ($164.4 million) by 2023 to foster AI talent with an aim to secure about 1,000 experts in the sector.

Upon the launch of LG AI Research in December 2020, LG Corp. Chairman Koo Kwang-mo pledged his support to secure the best talent and partners to make the institute the center of the global AI ecosystem.

Write to Hyung-Suk Song at click@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.