AI pioneer Schmidhuber joins Japan's Sakana AI as science adviser

Jürgen Schmidhuber, whose decades of research have shaped modern deep learning and neural networks, will serve as a science adviser to Sakana AI, the Japanese startup announced. The Austrian researcher is widely recognised for pioneering work in recurrent neural networks and long short-term memory (LSTM) systems, foundational technologies now embedded across the AI industry.

Sakana AI, which was founded in 2023 by former researchers from Google and other leading tech companies, has positioned itself as a centre for cutting-edge artificial intelligence development in Japan. The appointment of Schmidhuber signals the startup's commitment to maintaining scientific rigour as it pursues commercial applications in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Schmidhuber's involvement comes as Japan seeks to strengthen its position in global AI development. The country has increasingly emphasised the importance of attracting international research talent and expertise to maintain competitiveness alongside major AI hubs in the United States and Europe. His advisory role is expected to help guide Sakana AI's research direction and lend credibility to the company's scientific endeavours.

The collaboration represents a notable step for Sakana AI as it scales operations and expands its research capabilities. Details regarding the scope and duration of Schmidhuber's advisory arrangement were not disclosed.