Swinburne University in Melbourne and global IT and consulting firm Wipro have established the institution's first professorial chair of artificial intelligence to lead the further translational research into the field.
Former CSIRO lead AI researcher professor Ryszard Kowalczyk has been named as the inaugural chair, following the establishment of the Wipro-Swinburne Digital Innovation Centre in 2016.
The centre was initially created to translate research on AI into practical applications for smart cities and health in Australia -- and around the world.
Swinburne deputy vice-chancellor (research and development) professor Aleksandar Subic said the new position will guide the development of AI-enhanced digital solutions, products and devices targeted at those sectors.
“Professor Kowalczyk has established an excellent research track record of working with government and industry in the domain of artificial intelligence, producing important research outcomes and commercial benefits,” said Subic.
“He will provide strong leadership for our collaborative work with Wipro, including research, innovation, commercialisation and engagement activities.”
Wipro’s Australian head of AI and Automation Sriram Bhargav will also be collaborating with Kowalczyk to further build research and development links between the two organisations.
Kowalczyk is currently the director of Swinburne’ Key Lab for Intelligent Software Systems and leader of the AI and Intelligent Agent Technology research group.
Swinburne has recently been ramping up its digital enterprise partnerships, including collaborations with Siemens, Tableau and cybersecurity company Trend Micro.
The university's previous forays into real-world AI applications also raised the prospect of letting machines run (or at the very least assist) Australia’s criminal justice system rather than human judges.
