Google Israel and Tel Aviv University launched a three-year program to promote research in artificial intelligence and data science, the university said on Sunday.
The program will focus on advancing foundational research in AI, including innovation in language models, AI for privacy and algorithmic efficiency.
The program will be led by the university’s Center for AI and Data Science, headed by Professor Yishay Mansour from the Blavatnik School of Computer Science and AI, with Google’s philanthropic arm providing $1 million in funding, the statement read.
“Our collaboration with Google began about five years ago, when Google supported interdisciplinary AI collaborations connecting researchers in computer science, engineering and data science, with those in the life sciences, humanities and social sciences,” Tel Aviv University President Professor Ariel Porat said in a statement.
“The newly launched program focuses on core areas of AI and includes scholarships for PhD students. In addition, it enables scholarships for students from Israel’s periphery—thereby advancing the university’s strategy of supporting students who have not had the same opportunities as most of their peers,” Porat continued.
“One of our central challenges is developing theories that explain AI’s meteoric success. A deep understanding of the processes involved in training large language models can open new directions and contribute to significant improvements in the algorithmic efficiency of learning processes,” added Professor Yishay Mansour, head of the university’s Center for AI and Data Science.
Yossi Matias, vice president of engineering and research at Google and head of Google Research, was quoted as saying, “Research and academic excellence are more important than ever. I believe in the benefits of mutual enrichment between outstanding academic research and the development of technological innovation—when researchers from different disciplines and different approaches come together, meaningful advances emerge.”
Tel Aviv University’s statement further noted that over the past three years, Google has supported TAU’s ExactShe program led by Professor Tova Milo, dean of the Faculty of Exact Sciences, which aims to create a supportive community for women in research.
