He helped build Alexa. Now Rohit Prasad is taking over Boston Dynamics

Rohit Prasad, former leader of Amazon’s artificial general intelligence division, has been appointed as the new CEO of Boston Dynamics. Prasad's appointment comes as Hyundai Motor Group plans to build a factory capable of producing 30,000 robots per year by 2028. In his announcement, Prasad expressed his excitement about joining the company during this pivotal moment in the industry.

Prasad's background in AI and machine learning began at Raytheon’s BBN Technologies, where he led machine-learning research and worked on real-world applications. His interest in machine learning can be traced back to his childhood, inspired by his fascination with Star Trek and the idea of computers people could talk to.

At Amazon, Prasad developed a reputation for turning AI advancements into functional products. His most notable achievement was leading the development of Alexa, the digital assistant that emerged as a popular product after incorporating deep learning. Prasad also served as Amazon’s senior vice president and head scientist for AGI, advocating for a new challenge for AI researchers and practitioners, emphasizing the importance of understanding user intent rather than merely imitating human behavior.

Boston Dynamics, owned by Hyundai Motor Group, is uniquely positioned to advance physical AI with its world-class robotics expertise. Prasad's transition to Boston Dynamics presents an opportunity to combine AI that can understand requests with machines capable of acting on them in the physical world. This role will be challenging, especially with competitors like Tesla pushing forward with their own humanoid robotics program.

Prasad's experience at Amazon, particularly with Alexa, provides a strong foundation for Boston Dynamics' future endeavors. He has previously argued that giving AI a body would make it truly smart, as demonstrated by Alexa's ability to interact with the physical world. Now, as CEO of Boston Dynamics, Prasad will have the chance to test this theory and further develop AI that can seamlessly integrate with the physical environment.