Article · AI translation
IT Home reported on October 31 that the Westlake World Model Research Center was established on October 31 at Westlake University's Yungu Campus. It is a university-level interdisciplinary research platform established by Westlake University for the field of physical intelligence.
The center is directed by Yu Kaicheng, a doctoral supervisor and assistant professor in Westlake University's School of Engineering and co-founder and chief scientist of the AI company KMind. Jin Yaochu, Westlake University's Chair Professor of Artificial Intelligence and head of its Department of Artificial Intelligence, serves as chief scientist, while several PIs (principal investigators) jointly undertake research in various areas.
According to an official introduction obtained by IT Home, the center is oriented toward the shift in artificial intelligence from language cognition to physical interaction. It focuses on world models and physical intelligence, aims to overcome key bottlenecks in intelligent systems' ability to understand physical laws, predict environmental changes and make decisions during interaction, and seeks to build an internationally leading academic hub and engine of innovation for physical intelligence.
With world models as its core research focus, the center will explore intelligent systems that combine perception, cognition, prediction and action, advancing artificial intelligence's ability to understand the world, envision the future and act autonomously in real environments. Drawing on Westlake University's research foundations and interdisciplinary strengths, the center will bring together researchers from multiple fields to promote the coordinated development of fundamental theory, key technologies and applied research. It will develop general-purpose world models capable of understanding physical laws, predicting the consequences of actions and continuously learning from real-world feedback, supporting China's independent innovation and frontier planning in next-generation artificial intelligence.