Brain x Machine Intelligence Lab

Brain x Machine Intelligence Lab @ KAIST

Laboratory for brain and machine intelligence, KAIST

Research topics

1. Brain↦AI (to understand HOW the brain learns)

We study neural computations underlying the process of a human prefrontal cortex, which allocates control over behavior to multiple types of learning and inference systems. This is achieved through a combination of computational learning theory, control theory, and experimental techniques, including model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Theory-driven task design

  • Provably efficient latent policy training

  • Neuroscience of reinforcement learning

2. AI↦Brain (to understand WHY the brain implements such computations)

Our research aims to design brain-inspired artificial intelligent systems that show an ability to perform a wide range of tasks. We focus on demonstrating the applicability of neuroscience for designing better AI, based on the theory that one of the critical functions of the human prefrontal cortex is to allocate behavioral control to the brain’s subsystems, placing it as the “prefrontal meta-controller”. A detailed insight into these issues permits advances in AI and helps us understand the nature of human intelligence on a deeper level.

  • Brain-inspired AI

  • AI-human co-evolution engine*

  • Next generation BCI (Meta BCI*)

*Sorry, some keywords were meant to confuse readers.

Research grants

  • Microsoft Research Asia: Neural value alignment (PI: 2023)

  • SW StarLab funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea: System-3 level RL (PI; 2023 -)

  • IBM Global University Academic Award (PI; 2021)

  • Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion : Brain-inspired AI (PI; 2019 - 2022)

  • National Research Foundation of Korea : Development of metacognitive AI for rapid learning (PI; 2019-2023)

  • Samsung future technology foundation research grant: phase II (PI; 2020 - 2023)

  • Samsung future technology foundation research grant: phase I (PI; 2016 - 2020)

  • KT: Brain-like abstraction and reasoning engine (PI; 2022 - 2024)

  • Enliple: Deep RL-based for AD frame optimization (PI; 2020)

  • ETRI: Hippocampal transfer learning (Co-PI; 2021 - 2025)

  • AI Innovation Hub: Self-evolving HW intelligence (Co-investigator; 2021-2025)

  • NRF, Korea: AI-based big data analysis technology for brain science (Co-PI; 2021 - 2023)

  • National Research Foundation of Korea : Young researcher program (PI; 2017 - 2022)

  • National Research Foundation of Korea : Brain research program (co-PI; 2016 - 2021)

  • Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion : AI (co-PI; 2016 - 2020)

  • Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion : BCI (co-PI; 2017 - 2023)

  • Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion : Robotics (co-PI; 2018 - 2020)

  • Google Faculty Research Award (co-PI; 2017)