What are the ways to bridge the gap between industry and academia? While the AI breakthroughs in industry often make headlines, these successes are just the tip of the iceberg. Industry is increasingly taking the lead in controlling the three critical elements driving modern AI research. Computing power, large datasets, as well as a pool of highly skilled researchers – their knowledge shared with the broader community is one way to support and strengthen this progress.

In October, Zico Kolter, a Professor of Computer Science and the head of the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University, had a lecture on AI Safety and Robustness as part of the INSAIT Tech Series in front of almost 500 people in Sofia University. Zico completed his Ph.D. in computer science at Stanford University in 2010, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT from 2010 to 2012.

The Recursive spoke to the professor about the importance of collaboration between academia and industry, the development of LLMs and his newest role as part of OpenAI’s board.

Zico Kolter emphasized that AI remains primarily a research-driven technology. “OpenAI, for example, is conducting what I would call very fundamental, academic-style research, but they are doing it in an industrial context. However, this is somewhat of an outlier – they have massive resources enabling them to do so,” he explained. 

Kolter pointed out that for the most part, significant advancements in AI at other companies, particularly smaller ones and startups, are born out of breakthroughs in academia. 

“Therefore, I believe the best way to drive innovation, especially for startups or industry players without the vast resources of companies like OpenAI or Google, is through genuine, close integration with fundamental academic research. These two areas are deeply interconnected, and time and again, we see the profound impact that basic research has on our current world.”

Kolter further explained that discussions are underway regarding potential formal collaborations between CMU and INSAIT. He also highlighted the strength of the regional talent pool: “I am aware that the culture here is incredibly strong when it comes to programming and math competitions. This is something many students take pride in, and it’s a characteristic that many tech companies actively seek. In that sense, the groundwork is absolutely solid for fostering collaborations in this region,” he added.