Travis Kalanick's robotics startup taps Meta veteran for top AI role (www.businessinsider.com)

Vikas Chandra, a former Meta AI executive known for his leadership in smart glasses technology, has joined Travis Kalanick's robotics startup, Atoms, as vice president of AI. In this role, Chandra aims to develop "foundation models for the physical world," which are designed to enable machines to better understand and operate in real-world environments. This shift from virtual applications to tangible interaction presents a more complex computational challenge, demonstrating the growing urgency for advanced AI systems capable of navigating the intricacies of physical tasks. Atoms, which has recently secured $1.7 billion in funding to advance its mission of digitizing the physical world, is focusing on creating robots for various industries, including food, mining, and transportation. Kalanick, who has a history of innovation from his time at Uber and CloudKitchens, is building a team that reflects his ambition; recent hires include financial experts and engineers from the self-driving sector. As Chandra and others bring their expertise to Atoms, the startup is positioned to make significant strides in transforming traditional industries through AI-driven robotics.