Genesis AI Secures $105M to Build Foundational AI for Robots
Genesis AI Secures $105M to Build Foundational AI for Robots
In a significant development for the robotics and artificial intelligence sectors, Genesis AI has emerged from stealth mode, announcing a substantial $105 million seed funding round. This impressive investment was co-led by prominent venture capital firms Eclipse Ventures and Khosla Ventures, signaling strong confidence in the startup's ambitious vision.
Pioneering Foundational AI for Robotics
Founded last December by robotics expert Dr. Zhou Xian (a Carnegie Mellon Ph.D.) and former Mistral AI research scientist Théophile Gervet, Genesis AI aims to revolutionize the robotics industry. Their core mission is to develop a general-purpose foundational AI model capable of powering a wide array of robots, enabling them to automate diverse repetitive tasks, from intricate lab procedures to routine household chores.
Overcoming Data Challenges with Synthetic Worlds
Unlike large language models that rely on vast text datasets, AI models for robotics demand extensive data from the physical world. Acquiring this real-world data is notoriously costly and time-consuming. Genesis AI is tackling this challenge head-on by leveraging synthetic data. They generate this data using a proprietary physics engine, which they claim can accurately model the physical world, offering a scalable and efficient alternative to real-world data collection.
This innovative synthetic data engine originated from a collaborative academic project led by Dr. Xian, involving researchers from 18 universities. Many participants from this project have since joined Genesis AI, forming a team of over 20 specialized researchers in robotics, machine learning, and graphics. Genesis asserts that their unique simulation engine allows them to develop models at an accelerated pace, providing a distinct competitive edge over technologies reliant on NVIDIA's software.
The Robotics AI Landscape
Genesis AI enters a dynamic field with other notable players also working on general-purpose AI models for robots. These include Physical Intelligence, which recently secured a $400 million funding round, and Skild AI, valued at $4 billion earlier this year.
Investor Confidence and Future Outlook
Kanu Gulati, a partner at Khosla Ventures, expressed strong belief in Genesis AI's approach, stating, "It’s a big unknown: Will anybody have a large robotics foundation model that will generalize across tasks? That’s a bet we want to go after." She added, "Of all the teams we have seen, we like [Genesis’s] approach for going after robotics foundation models."
With dual offices in Silicon Valley and Paris, Genesis AI is actively developing its synthetic data capabilities and foundational model. The company's next significant milestone is to release its model to the broader robotics community by the end of the year, a move eagerly anticipated by the industry.
