TELUS Unveils Digital Research Hub at University of São Paulo to Drive AI Innovation
TELUS Digital, a global leader in customer experience technology, officially launched the TELUS Digital Research Hub at the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (CIAAM) at the University of São Paulo (USP) On March 18. This innovative facility is designed to foster AI advancements, offering research grants to both undergraduate and postgraduate students pursuing AI-related studies. Through a $1 million investment over three years, TELUS Digital aims to support the development of ethical and human-centered AI solutions, further strengthening Brazil’s role in the AI research landscape.
Empowering AI Researchers with Grants and Resources
The TELUS Digital Research Hub will provide research grants to students involved in AI projects. These grants will enable selected researchers to access vital resources and support for their work in the AI field. Interested applicants can apply for these grants through the official portal: telusdigital.com/research-hub. The research funded through these grants will focus on enhancing TELUS Digital’s generative AI platform, Fuel iX™, a suite of products designed to help enterprises scale and operate advanced AI applications securely and efficiently.
Grant recipients will also have access to cutting-edge AI models through Fuel iX Core and applications like Fuel iX Copilots, providing them with the necessary tools to push the boundaries of AI research.
A Commitment to Ethical and Purpose-Driven AI
The launch of the TELUS Digital Research Hub underscores TELUS Digital’s commitment to developing AI solutions that are not only powerful but also human-centered and ethically designed. Renato Vicente, Director of the TELUS Digital Research Hub, expressed the company’s vision: “With the official opening of the TELUS Digital Research Hub, we’re creating a dedicated space for discovery and collaboration, where researchers can explore AI’s potential through projects with real-world impact.”
Having taught at USP for 20 years, Renato Vicente emphasized the importance of this initiative in furthering AI research and strengthening Brazil’s position as a leader in AI innovation. He highlighted the value of collaboration between academia and industry, encouraging students and researchers to apply for grants to focus on critical areas such as AI security, the development of small language models, and enhancing transparency and efficiency in AI systems.
Key Areas of Focus for AI Research
The TELUS Digital Research Hub will prioritize advancements in AI that have the potential to improve security, efficiency, and reliability in the realm of customer experience. The initial research agenda will focus on the following key areas:
- Developing Small Language Models: Specializing and localizing AI solutions to cater to specific needs and languages.
- Enhancing Knowledge Graph Integration: Improving the factual accuracy and reliability of AI systems, which are crucial for real-world applications.
- Mitigating Security Risks in Multimodal AI: Addressing vulnerabilities in AI systems to ensure their safe deployment across various industries.
- Exploring Geometry of LLM Embeddings: Refining AI efficiency by improving control mechanisms that guide AI’s decision-making processes.
- Promoting Explainability in AI: Making AI systems more transparent, controllable, and trustworthy to increase their adoption and efficiency.
- Optimizing AI Efficiency: Striving for sustainability and wider accessibility by improving AI’s energy consumption and scalability.
- Improving LLM Response Quality: Developing robust methods to assess the quality of AI-generated content for relevance and accuracy.
These areas of focus aim to drive AI forward by addressing key challenges while enhancing its overall usefulness and ethical considerations. Through these efforts, TELUS Digital seeks to enable smarter, more efficient AI solutions that will have a lasting impact on the future of technology.
Cultivating the Next Generation of AI Innovators
A primary goal of the TELUS Digital Research Hub is to nurture the next generation of AI leaders. The hub will offer annual undergraduate research grants to eight students, giving them the opportunity to participate in hands-on AI projects under the guidance of both academic and industry mentors. These projects will provide real-world experience and insight into the practical applications of AI.
In addition to supporting undergraduates, the hub will also offer postdoctoral fellowships, encouraging early-career researchers to pursue independent studies in AI. To foster global collaboration, the hub will invite top AI scholars from around the world to participate in a visiting scholars program, allowing them to share their expertise and collaborate on groundbreaking research initiatives.
As part of the CIAAM at USP, the TELUS Digital Research Hub will also contribute to discussions on AI’s technological, economic, and social impacts, catalyzing innovation and fostering a global dialogue about the responsible development of AI.
TELUS Digital’s Ongoing Commitment to AI Innovation
TELUS Digital’s dedication to AI research extends beyond the TELUS Digital Research Hub. Bret Kinsella, General Manager of Fuel iX at TELUS Digital, emphasized that the company is already delivering applied AI solutions through its Fuel iX platform. “TELUS Digital delivers applied AI innovation today through implementation for our clients and through Fuel iX. Our investment in this initiative is a further commitment to supporting long-term and early-stage research today that will become the foundation of advanced features in tomorrow’s AI applications,” Kinsella said.
This new research hub follows in the footsteps of TELUS Digital’s existing Digital Centers in Guatemala and India, where the company has already worked on advancing AI technologies. The São Paulo-based hub is designed to tap into fresh, diverse perspectives to drive AI innovation and continue the company’s leadership in AI applications.
How to Apply for Research Grants
Undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in applying for research grants at the TELUS Digital Research Hub can explore available opportunities and submit their applications through the official portal: telusdigital.com/research-hub.
By providing grants and creating opportunities for collaboration between academia and industry, the TELUS Digital Research Hub is poised to make significant strides in AI research and innovation, contributing to the development of ethical, human-centered AI technologies that will shape the future of customer experience.
About TELUS Digital
TELUS Digital crafts unique and enduring experiences for customers and employees, and creates future-focused digital transformations that can withstand disruption and deliver value for our clients. We are the brand behind the brands. Our global team members are both passionate ambassadors of our clients’ products and services, and visionary technology experts resolute in our pursuit to elevate their end customer journeys, solve business challenges, mitigate risks, and drive continuous innovation. Our portfolio of end-to-end, integrated capabilities include digital solutions, such as cloud solutions and AI-fueled automation, trust, safety and security services, AI & data solutions, including expertise in computer vision, and front-end digital design and consulting services.
Fuel iX™ is TELUS Digital’s proprietary generative AI platform and suite of products at the heart of our innovation, helping enterprises advance their pilots to working prototypes and production at scale, quickly, securely and responsibly across multiple environments, applications and clouds.
Powered by purpose, TELUS Digital leverages technology, human ingenuity and compassion to fuel remarkable outcomes and create inclusive, thriving communities in the regions where we operate around the world. Guided by our Humanity-in-the-Loop principles, we take a responsible approach to the transformational technologies we develop and deploy by proactively considering and addressing the broader impacts of our work. Learn more at: telusdigital.com
About USP
Founded in 1934, the USP (USP) is a nationally and internationally recognized institution, thanks to the talent and dedication of its more than 5,500 professors, nearly eighty thousand students, and over 12,000 technical and administrative staff members. Since 2003, USP has been ranked among the top 200 universities in the world in major global rankings that assess the quality of higher education institutions. USP’s status as a world-class university reflects the ongoing efforts of its community, which has always pursued excellence in its core activities, combined with academic, financial, and administrative autonomy—an element that has driven the institution’s advancements since 1989.
In undergraduate education, USP offers 332 programs across all fields of knowledge to nearly 60,000 students in its 43 academic units, spread across eight campuses located in Bauru, Lorena, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirão Preto, São Carlos, Santos, and São Paulo. The university’s robust graduate system is a key driver of its scientific development.
Its 264 graduate programs, covering all areas of knowledge, involve more than 30,000 graduate students. As a result of this strong graduate program, USP accounts for over 20% of Brazil’s scientific output. The quality of research conducted at USP is demonstrated by its highly relevant contributions across all fields of knowledge and the increasing interest in partnerships from prestigious institutions on five continents. It is also important to highlight USP’s significant role in cultural dissemination and university extension.
