University of Alberta Professor Richard Sutton is launching a non-profit lab through $4.8M in funding from Huawei Canada. The Openmind Research Institute, which Sutton will reportedly operate separately from his role at UAlberta, will focus on developing AI agents that are capable of human-level intelligence. The research will be open-source and neither Openmind nor Huawei will pursue intellectual property rights. The Globe and Mail reports that Huawei was restricted from working with Canadian universities in 2021, but is able to work with individual researchers directly. The Globe says Openmind is adamant that Huawei cannot influence its research.
Globe and Mail
