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A $20 million artificial intelligence (AI) research centre has opened its doors in Adelaide and is set to provide the groundwork for the technology's integration into future business solutions.
The Centre for Augmented Reasoning, which will be funded by the Australian government over four years, is based at the University of Adelaide and headquartered within the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, which opened in 2017 in the state’s Lot Fourteen technology precinct.
According to the university, augmented reasoning is an emerging field of AI which combines the ability to learn patterns through traditional machine learning with the ability to reason.
Part of the $20 million includes a $3.5 million innovation fund for AI commercialisation, which starts next year and is to be used for seed funding to launch new start-ups, support local collaboration opportunities, strategic development programs and new business ventures.
“[AI] is right now being used to improve the productivity of every industry sector. If Australia wants to participate in a future AI-enabled global economy, we need to be applying AI to improve our productivity. That's the way that we maintain Australian jobs,” said professor Anton van den Hengel, director of the Centre for Augmented Reasoning at the University of Adelaide.
“In every industry, the jobs that AI supports aren't AI jobs. They’re jobs in mining, agriculture, building and service industries. All of those industries will be impacted by the productivity gains from AI.
“By using AI to improve their efficiency, productivity and quality, Australian businesses will remain competitive in an increasingly automated global economy.
“If Australia is too slow in adopting new technology, then our industries will not be able to compete against regions that have already embraced the changes brought about by AI,” he added.
The university claims use cases for augmented reasoning include machines that can work with data analysts to optimise business processes, learn new things when interacting with their environment or to ask people questions as a “more natural and easier” alternative to filling out forms.
Other hypothetical uses cover robots that can understand and follow instructions and factories that allow people and machines to work together without needing to reprogram software.
