Recent research trends in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Computer Vision have led to a growing research space called Embodied AI. Facebook AI Research (FAIR) and Intel Labs has been spearheading new projects in the space of Embodied AI. "Embodied" is defined as "giving a tangible or visible form to an idea." Simply put, "Embodied AI" means "AI for virtual robots." More specifically, Embodied AI is the field for solving AI problems for virtual robots that can move, see, speak, and interact in the virtual world and with other virtual robots -- these simulated robot solutions are then transferred to real world robots. Linda Smith proposed the "embodiment hypothesis" in 2005 as the idea that intelligence emerges in the interaction of an agent with an environment and as a result of sensorimotor activity. They argue that starting as a baby grounded in a physical, social, and linguistic world is crucial to the development of the flexible and inventive intelligence that characterizes humankind. Furthermore, the Embodiment Thesis states that many features of cognition are embodied in that they are deeply dependent upon characteristics of the physical body of an agent, such that the agent's beyond-the-brain body plays a significant causal role, or a physically constitutive role, in that agent's cognitive processing.

Recently, I picked up Kai-Fu Lee's newest book, AI Superpowers. Kai-Fu Lee is one of the most plugged-in AI investors on the planet, managing over $2 billion between six funds and over 300 portfolio companies in the US and China. With a foothold in both Beijing and Silicon Valley, Lee looks at the power balance between Chinese and US tech behemoths--each turbocharging new applications of deep learning and sweeping up global markets in the process. In this post, I'll be discussing Lee's "Four Waves of AI," an excellent framework for discussing where AI is today and where it's going. I'll also be featuring some of the hottest Chinese tech companies leading the charge, worth watching right now.