Neuro-Symbolic AI Education
One of the main obstacles to the development of neuro-symbolic ideas is the inherent difficulty in spanning two very large and very different intellectual traditions - that of statistical AI or machine learning (ML), and that of symbolic AI or knowledge representation and reasoning (KRR) – most researchers are trained in one side but not the other. We hope to help onboard new researchers into this pursuit by providing educational entry points for researchers from both sides.
The Bridge
Symbolic AI or knowledge representation and reasoning (KRR)
Statistical AI or machine learning
(ML)
Events and materials
One of the main obstacles to the development of neuro-symbolic ideas is the inherent difficulty in spanning two very large and very different intellectual traditions - that of statistical AI or machine learning (ML), and that of symbolic AI or knowledge representation and reasoning (KRR) – most researchers are trained in one side but not the other. We hope to help onboard new researchers into this pursuit by providing educational entry points for researchers from both sides, via events with short courses and panels. We will also develop educational materials including presentations, courses, and books.
2nd education event (Summer 2023): Neuro-Symbolic Summer School (NSSS) 2023: 3500+ registrations
1st educational event (Summer 2022): Neuro-Symbolic Summer School (NSSS) 2022: 6000+ registrations
Guiding students
To help students interested in this emerging area (and indirectly their advisors), we can provide guidance on open problems to tackle and the history of approaches in the literature, as well as bring students into existing collaborations or start new research projects and otherwise make professional connections.
Students are particularly welcome to reach out for guidance and advice, which may range from formal (e.g. internships, PhD committee service) to informal and year-round
In Summer 2024, the Institute is hosting two research interns:
Bowen Li, PhD student, Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute. Project: Neuro-symbolic task and motion planning.
Jaiden Lee, undergraduate, Georgia Institute of Technology. Project: Augmenting LLMs for fact checking.
Advising Groups
To accelerate the development of the neuro-symbolic AI ecosystem, we advise organizations of all kinds on how to utilize neuro-symbolic AI technologies, including non-profits, government agencies, startups, venture capital and private equity firms, and large enterprises. Like many non-profit organizations, the Institute has a wholly-owned for-profit entity (Centaur AI Corporation) for the subset of its activities which further its mission but may also further the commercial interest of a third party - for example, advising companies on the use of neuro-symbolic technologies to advance their business. Similar to a university, we anticipate in the future helping to incubate startups based on neuro-symbolic technology, leveraging our past entrepreneurial experience.
