Krafton and Seoul National University launch joint world model research for games, robots
In short
Game company Krafton and Seoul National University's interdisciplinary graduate program in artificial intelligence held a launch ceremony on October 8 for joint research on AI world models for games and robotics. The three-year programme covers three research projects led by university faculty plus a joint research centre, and will build benchmarks to evaluate results.
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Krafton and Seoul National University's interdisciplinary graduate program in artificial intelligence held a launch ceremony for joint research on world models covering games and robots on October 8, the company said. The ceremony took place at the university in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Maeil Business reported, and the two sides disclosed research topics and participating researchers. Krafton Chief AI Officer Lee Kang-wook (이강욱) and Seoul National University professor Kang U (강유) attended and discussed the detailed projects and cooperation plans. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
A world model is a technology in which AI understands a current situation and predicts and simulates how its surroundings will change after a given action. Krafton said it will study, with the university, the prediction and judgement technologies needed both in virtual game environments and in the real environments where robots operate, and plans to strengthen its research base in robotics. [ 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 ]
The research will run for three years and consists of three projects carried out by university faculty plus the operation of a joint research centre. Researchers will develop world models that keep the appearance of space and objects consistent when AI generates long videos, and study technology that uses in-game motion data to connect the movements of people and surrounding objects naturally. They will also use virtual scenes to test whether AI relies on spatial information such as the width of a passage or the distance to an object, and build benchmarks to evaluate the results. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
Through the joint research centre, the two sides will run results-sharing sessions and student internships and look for new joint projects. Krafton plans to use the partnership to broaden exchanges with AI researchers and secure talent. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
The research builds on an industry-academia cooperation agreement signed last November, which covered joint research, personnel exchange, student internships and setting up a corporate research centre within the graduate school. The two have also worked together through the Ministry of Science and ICT's AI Star Fellowship support programme. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
"The simulation and virtual-world building capabilities Krafton has accumulated through games are an important foundation for world model research," Lee said, adding that the company would use the results for more vivid game experiences and extend them into areas such as robotics. Kang said it was meaningful to pursue the research with Krafton and that the work would aim for meaningful results and widen students' opportunities to take part in research. Krafton established a US robotics research company, Ludo Robotics, last year and a Korean entity in February this year, Kyunghyang Games, Asia Economy and Gamemeca reported. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
Why it matters
Krafton said its simulation and virtual-world capabilities from games underpin the research, which it intends to use for game experiences and to extend into robotics. The partnership also gives the company a channel for exchange with AI researchers and recruiting talent, according to the outlets.
Key facts
- Krafton and Seoul National University's interdisciplinary graduate program in AI held a joint research launch ceremony on October 8 and disclosed research topics and participating researchers. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- The joint research will run for three years. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- It consists of three research projects carried out by Seoul National University faculty and the operation of a joint research centre. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The projects cover world models that keep space and objects consistent in long AI-generated video, linking human and object motion using in-game motion data, and testing whether AI uses spatial information such as passage width and distance to objects. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
- Benchmarks to evaluate the research results will also be built. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
- The research builds on an industry-academia cooperation agreement signed last November. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- Krafton Chief AI Officer Lee Kang-wook (이강욱) and Seoul National University professor Kang U (강유) attended the ceremony. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The joint research on world models for games and robots will last three years. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- The research comprises three faculty-led projects and a joint research centre. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
- The joint research centre will run results-sharing sessions and student internships and identify new research projects. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The cooperation agreement signed last November included joint research, personnel exchange, student internships and setting up a corporate research centre within the graduate school. [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- Krafton and Seoul National University have also cooperated through the Ministry of Science and ICT's AI Star Fellowship support programme. [ 3 , 4 , 7 ]
- Krafton set up a US robotics research company, Ludo Robotics, last year and added a Korean entity in February this year. [ 4 , 5 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Funding amounts and the size of the research team. None of the documents give the budget or the number of researchers involved.
- Who will own or use the research results. The documents describe Krafton's plans for applying results but give no terms on intellectual property.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Chosun Ilbo reports Krafton and Seoul National University have launched joint world model research. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes details of the three research projects and the joint research centre. [ 3 ]
- Kyunghyang Games reports the launch, noting Krafton's robotics entity Ludo Robotics. [ 4 ]
- Maeil Business reports the ceremony was held at Seoul National University in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. [ 8 ]