Accenture Invests in Sanctuary AI to Bring AI-Powered, Humanoid Robotics to Work Alongside Humans
27 March 2024 - 10:59PM
Business Wire
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has made a strategic investment, through
Accenture Ventures, in Sanctuary AI, a developer of humanoid
general-purpose robots that are powered by AI and can perform a
wide variety of work tasks quickly, safely and effectively.
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“AI-powered humanoid robots are essential to reinventing work
and supporting human workers as labor shortage is becoming an issue
in many countries and industries,” said Joe Lui, Accenture’s global
advanced automation and robotics lead. “Sanctuary AI’s advanced AI
platform trains robots to react to their environment and perform
new tasks with precision in a very short time. We see huge
potential for their robots in post and parcel, manufacturing,
retail and logistics warehousing operations, where they could
complement and collaborate with human workers and automate tasks
that traditional robotics can’t.”
Sanctuary AI’s general-purpose robot Phoenix™, recently
recognized as one of TIME magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2023,” can
perform a multitude of work tasks. For instance, at a Mark’s retail
store in Langley, BC, Canada, Phoenix has performed more than 100
tasks, including choosing and packing merchandise, and correctly
cleaning, tagging, labeling and folding items, with robotic hands
that rival human hand dexterity and fine manipulation. Phoenix is
powered by the company’s AI control system, Carbon™, which mimics
subsystems found in the human brain, such as memory, sight, sound
and touch, and translates natural language into action in the real
world.
Geordie Rose, chief executive officer and co-founder of
Sanctuary AI, said: “Robots with human-like intelligence will
completely transform the workforce of the future. By combining
Accenture’s expertise in disruptive technology with Sanctuary AI’s
industry-leading robotics, we can help some of the biggest
companies in the world manage this change and provide the best
solutions for its clients.”
Accenture’s Technology Vision 2024 report found that 95% of
executives surveyed agree that making technology more human will
massively expand the opportunities of every industry. The report
calls for taking a balanced, ‘human by design’ approach that
ensures companies use technologies fairly and responsibly.
Sanctuary AI is making this a reality by embedding Explainable AI
in the Phoenix robot in order to feature reasoning, task and motion
plans that can be defined and audited.
Accenture has previously invested in other robotics areas, for
example, through Accenture Alpha Automation, a recently formed
joint venture with Japanese robotics leader Mujin, and acquisitions
of Eclipse Automation in Canada and Pollux in Brazil. Sanctuary AI
is the latest company to join Accenture Ventures’ Project
Spotlight, an engagement and investment program that connects
emerging technology startups with Accenture’s Global 2000 client
base in order to fill strategic innovation gaps. Project Spotlight
offers extensive access to Accenture’s domain expertise and
enterprise clients, helping startups harness human creativity and
deliver on the promise of their technology.
About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional
services company that helps the world’s leading businesses,
governments and other organizations build their digital core,
optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance
citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are
a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 742,000
people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at
the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in
helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We
combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data
and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and
global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver
tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions
and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology,
Operations, Industry X and Song. These capabilities, together with
our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360°
value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted,
lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we
create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and
communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
About Sanctuary AI Founded in 2018, Sanctuary AI is a
multi-award-winning company based in Vancouver, Canada. Sanctuary
AI is on a mission to create the world's first human-like
intelligence in general purpose robots that will help us work more
safely, efficiently, and sustainably, helping to address the labor
challenges facing many organizations today. Sanctuary AI's growing
list of customers and investors represents a wide variety of
industries across Canada, the US, and other countries around the
world.
Members of the Sanctuary team founded D-Wave (a pioneer in the
quantum computing industry), Kindred (first use of reinforcement
learning in a production robot), and the Creative Destruction Lab
(pioneered a revolutionary method for the commercialization of
science for the betterment of humankind). With experience at
startups and technology leaders such as Amazon, Microsoft, and
Softbank Robotics, the team has experience launching
market-defining innovations rooted in previously unsolved and deep
scientific problems.
Copyright © 2024 Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture and
its logo are registered trademarks of Accenture.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240327538360/en/
Julie Bennink Accenture +1 312 693 7301
julie.l.bennink@accenture.com
Jens Derksen Accenture +49 175 5761393
jens.derksen@accenture.com
Jenny Corlett Sanctuary AI +44 79 4495 1474
jenny.corlett@sanctuary.ai
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