If you want to help software related AI research, start compiling massive high quality training data sets and giving it away for free. Easier said than done though.
No immediate financial return? I hope you can accept no financial return, period. In general the easiest way for an individual to accelerate general research is through generous funding. But even then it’s not like a slider in a game where you provide more funding and things get done faster. There’s diminishing returns after a point. Not that I’m trying to discourage you, but I hope you’re thinking about it the right way before you waste a lot of time and money.
I suggest talking to actual researchers and asking them what they really need, and give them that. Basically the same as a startup going out and talking to customers. The only research probably being done around here is largely software related, and probably not changing the world much in ways that actually matter.
I second creating a large high quality dataset to advance AI. It would be especially effective when combined with a competition - Imagenet competition jump started DL revolution in 2012, and currently there’s no obvious successor. What’s lacking in AI is models with “common sense” and a “world model”. A dataset/competition to develop such models could cause the next AI revolution.
No, I don’t mean no returns for three years, I mean no returns ever. You must go into this with both eyes open, don’t find yourself crippled later because you gave all your time and money away and have nothing to show for it.
Got it. It's not, agreed, but nobody should work for free. In fact, I believe that doing what OP wants to do is more harmful than building a business around his intentions.
I agree, no one should have to work for free. But there are two competing aspects here. Science is about seeking out knowledge and advancing humanity. But unfortunately we need to buy food to eat.
I’d second this. Many labs, including ours, are happy to discuss challenges and opportunities with serious outside parties. If you emailed a few labs near you with a detailed explanation I’d expect you would get multiple responses.
No immediate financial return? I hope you can accept no financial return, period. In general the easiest way for an individual to accelerate general research is through generous funding. But even then it’s not like a slider in a game where you provide more funding and things get done faster. There’s diminishing returns after a point. Not that I’m trying to discourage you, but I hope you’re thinking about it the right way before you waste a lot of time and money.
I suggest talking to actual researchers and asking them what they really need, and give them that. Basically the same as a startup going out and talking to customers. The only research probably being done around here is largely software related, and probably not changing the world much in ways that actually matter.