UTS launches Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute

The University of Technology Sydney launched a new research institute to develop the nation's use of artificial intelligence for economic and social advancement. The Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII) will oversee what the university is calling the country's largest AI research program, with both applied and fundamental research using AI and associated technologies such as the internet of things (IoT). Researchers at the institute are set to work across a number of sectors including healthcare, financial services, transport, education, and defence. The facility will be led by Distinguished Professor Jie Lu, an expert in "fuzzy" machine learning - where algorithms are intended to function more like humans with an ability to evaluate more nuanced possibilities - and its impact on data-driven decision making. Eight separate labs exist within the institute, with focus areas covering computational intelligence and deep learning, blockchain, bioinformatics, software and security.