An ex-Apple employee who worked as an AI researcher for around six years has assembled a team of qualified personnel to push the boundaries of battery technology. All of these individuals are currently stationed at Northvolt, a Swedish firm specializing in developing and manufacturing batteries. The former AI researcher believes that harnessing the capabilities of AI will allow him and his team to push the development barrier a lot faster while freeing up time for other crucial tasks.

Former Apple AI researcher states that artificial intelligence is being used to return time to people so that they can be focused on other things

Siddharth Khullar and his team of experts are currently working at the main factory of Northvolt and together, they will take advantage of AI and machine learning that will enable them to replace manual inspections, according to Bloomberg. The report states that the primary factory alone features 4,000 inspection points, with the purpose of AI being to return time to the people using it.

At this time, Northvolt is Europe’s only major battery manufacturer, and it has expanded its operations in Sweden while also building factories in Germany and Canada. Though the company has raised $9 billion in capital in the form of equity and debt, Northvolt has also garnered $55 billion in orders from large automotive clients such as BMW, Volvo, Polestar, Volkswagen, and others.

A picture of the Northvolt sodium-ion battery

Khullar is known for his work on the Apple Watch and other projects related to sleep tracking and autonomous driving. Though his tenure at the California-based giant was brief, he managed to secure employment at Northvolt a little over a year ago, with his team expanded to 18 people, but there is still room for growth and leading the front on battery technology. When talking about the idea of artificial intelligence replacing people, Khullar says that it cannot replace people who have been working on something specific for a long period.

“AI wont be able to replace 10 years of working on a specific process in the line. But we can assist them with a lot of knowledge search, summarization, preparation of content, analyzing a ton of numbers and showing them patterns and making better decisions.”

Khullar has not commented on whether he will bring these battery advancements to consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, so for now, his current focus is on the automobile industry.

News Source: Bloomberg