Cognizant opens new advanced AI lab in San Francisco

The technology company, Cognizant, has announced the opening of a new Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab based out of San Francisco. The focus of this lab will be to innovate and develop intellectual property and AI-enhancement technologies. This comes at a time where businesses and society is working to comprehend the potential of AI and its capacity for future development. The lab solidifies Cognizant's role at the leading edge of innovation in this sector.

With a team of dedicated AI developers and researchers, including industry pioneers and PhDs, the lab is set to collaborate with numerous research institutions, customers, and start-ups. Already, the lab has achieved 75 issued and pending patents, laying a notable foundation on which to build state-of-art AI solutions. This innovation effort forms part of Cognizant's pledge, made last year, to spend $1 billion on generative AI (gen AI) within the next three years.

Cognizant's AI Lab launches into an environment where enterprises are actively striving to comprehend the impact of AI and meet intensifying expectations around its potential. Research has indicated that 66 percent of executives are not satisfied with their company's progress on AI and gen AI, leading 85 percent to plan increased spending in this area in 2024. A recent study by Oxford Economics and Cognizant suggests that gen AI could contribute up to $1 trillion to the US economy by 2032.

Ravi Kumar S, the CEO of Cognizant, stated, "As AI rapidly evolves into mainstream use, Cognizant is continually pushing boundaries through strategic partnerships, training programmes and platform investments to be an AI-first company." Through the lab, the company plans to support better business outcomes and improve the future through more in-depth AI research and development.

The lab plans to use its AI developers and researchers to harness the power of Large Language Models (LLMs) to create decision-making AI systems that could enhance and optimise business outcomes. There is a focus on moving beyond simple prompt engineering and fine-tuning on the Cognizant Neuro AI platform to generate customisations supporting higher value outcomes.

Dr. Manish Saggar, Assistant Professor and Director of the Brain Dynamics Lab at Stanford University School of Medicine praised Cognizant's Advanced AI Lab saying, "I'm excited about the progress we're making together, as well as its potential impact on not only advancing science but also for developing novel interventions for mental health disorders."

Cognizant's Advanced AI Lab will concentrate on innovating AI solutions for business productivity and decision-making. It also plans to collaborate with research institutions, customers, start-ups and conduct AI-for-good research projects. Through its business lines and practices, the lab plans to focus on training and up-skilling, promoting a constant environment of innovation and knowledge sharing.

Leading the lab will be AI entrepreneur and inventor, Babak Hodjat, and University of Texas at Austin AI Professor, Risto Miikkulainen. In the past year, their team has published 14 papers in academic venues and won the Best Pathway to Impact Award at the NeurIPS 2023 Climate Change Workshop.

Alongside the lab launch, Cognizant is advocating for enterprise AI adoption through its AI Innovation Studios. These studios aim to inspire and collaborate on new business solutions to discuss and develop new business solutions. Cognizant is committed to sustaining high standards for responsible and ethical AI, centred around safety, security, privacy, transparency, and inclusivity.