Allen Institute wants to help engineers launch AI startups

The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2), a research center and startup incubator created by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, announced a new residency program that aims to give top engineers the intensive training needed to become technical cofounders of AI startups. Here's how it works: The organization will recruit a handful of top engineers for the program and provide them with a modest salary while preparing them to become the technical cofounder of a startup that uses artificial intelligence as a key part of its product. At the end of that process, which is expected to last 12 to 18 months, they'll be paired with an entrepreneur and given cofounder equity in a new venture that they begin. The program is powered by the Institute's AI researchers, who will be helping the residents on their journey to become cofounders. Think of it a bit like graduate school, except that instead of graduating with a diploma, participants will graduate with equity.