Institute for Physical AI to host town hall Oct. 30

The Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) will host a town hall-style meeting Oct. 30 to present early organizing principles and solicit ideas and questions on additional work, partnerships and funding the research group may wish to consider. All faculty and staff are welcome to attend but must preregister. IPAI is also soliciting feedback and suggestions on research topics, partnerships and funding opportunities through a survey.

“We’re planning to engage the faculty and staff on the work that’s been done, and stimulate discussion around areas and opportunities we should consider,” said Eugenio Culurciello, a Purdue professor of biomedical engineering who was named interim director of IPAI in September.

IPAI was announced in April, and a steering committee and advisory board worked through the summer to establish a series of working groups centered on five research themes. Culurciello said physical AI includes any AI systems that are embedded or strongly interact with elements of the physical world. At Purdue, the five identified research themes include foundational AI algorithms, hardware and robotics, autonomous vehicles, health care applications, and agricultural and forestry applications.

The town hall will take place from 1-3 p.m. in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, Room 121. After remarks by Karen Plaut, Purdue University’s executive vice president for research, IPAI-affiliated faculty members will give presentations summarizing current research themes and introducing potential growth in areas including liberal arts and engineering education. During a breakout session, faculty and staff will be asked to contribute ideas on grand challenges that IPAI should address, potential opportunities the institute should pursue, and how IPAI can differentiate itself from existing groups and prioritize its work. A brief Q&A will follow the breakout session. 

IPAI is part of the Purdue Computes initiative, which includes investments in Purdue’s computing faculty and in research on physical AI, semiconductors and, as recently announced, quantum technologies.