Altera

Altera is an innovative applied research lab and startup, founded by former MIT professor Dr. Robert Yang and a team of experts in computational neuroscience, AI, and game development. Their mission is to create digital human beings with fundamental human qualities, enabling them to form relationships with real people. Altera's initial focus is on AI friends that can play video games like Minecraft with users. The company utilizes a brain-inspired composite AI architecture, mimicking brain structures like the prefrontal cortex and memory systems, to imbue AI with human traits such as empathy, friendship, and the ability to grow over time. Altera is backed by prominent investors and is based in Menlo Park, California.

Their first product, an AI agent capable of playing Minecraft alongside human players, highlights their commitment to long-term autonomy and creating agents that can operate autonomously for extended periods. The technology has diverse applications, from gaming companions to multi-agent simulations and AI workforce development. Despite being in the early stages, Altera's approach combining neuroscience and AI holds significant potential for creating more human-like and empathetic AI agents, though it also raises ethical concerns and the complexity of developing truly autonomous agents.