Key Highlights:
Founders: Abhinav Gupta and Deepak Pathak, former Carnegie Mellon University professors
Founded: May 2023
Funding: $300 million in Series A
Valuation: $1.5 billion
Lead Investors: Lightspeed Ventures, Softbank, Coatue, Jeff Bezos
Other Investors: CRV, Felicis Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Amazon, Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, SV Angel, CMU
What is Skild AI ?
Skild AI, a pioneering robotics startup founded in 2023 by former Carnegie Mellon University professors Abhinav Gupta and Deepak Pathak, has raised $300 million in a Series A funding round. This funding, led by Lightspeed Ventures, Softbank, Coatue, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, brings the company's valuation to $1.5 billion. Skild AI is developing a "general purpose brain" for robots, designed to be integrated into various robotic platforms to enable a range of basic functions.
Skild AI's core innovation is a foundational AI model that functions as a general-purpose brain for robots. This model can be easily integrated into different robotic systems, enabling them to perform tasks such as climbing steep slopes, navigating over obstacles, and identifying and picking up objects. The AI demonstrates emergent capabilities, performing new tasks it wasn't explicitly trained for, showcasing its adaptability and robustness.
Data and Training:
Skild AI's model is trained on a vast dataset, reportedly 1,000 times larger than those used by competitors. This dataset was amassed through various methods:
Human Contractors: Operating robots remotely to gather data on actions.
Trial and Error: Robots performing random tasks and learning from the outcomes.
Public Videos: Training on millions of publicly available videos.
Research and Development:
Pathak and Gupta have leveraged their extensive research backgrounds to develop unique training techniques. Pathak's work on curiosity-driven learning, published in 2017 and cited over 4,000 times, plays a crucial role in their AI's development. This technique rewards robots for exploring unpredictable scenarios, enhancing their learning and data collection.
Skild AI faces competition from established and emerging players in the robotics space, including OpenAI, Figure AI, and Covariant. However, Skild AI's significant data advantage and innovative training methods position it uniquely in the market.
Future Vision of Skild AI
Skild AI aims to disrupt the robotics industry by offering a scalable, general-purpose AI model. The founders envision a future where their technology enables various use cases and products, moving towards achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) for robots. Their goal is to bring a "GPT-3 moment" to the robotics world, similar to the transformative impact seen in digital intelligence.
Investor Perspective:
Stephanie Zhan, a partner at Sequoia Capital and an existing investor in Skild AI, believes the company is on the cusp of a monumental shift in robotics. She anticipates advancements similar to those in digital intelligence, applied to the physical world of robotics.
Skild AI's innovative approach to developing a general-purpose brain for robots, backed by substantial funding and a vision for AGI, positions it as a significant player in the evolving field of robotics. With its unique data-driven model and strong leadership, Skild AI is poised to make a transformative impact on the industry.
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