The man who oversaw the launch of the PlayStation 4 has a new job advising an artificial-intelligence startup.
Jack Tretton is now on the advisory board of Genotaur, an artificial-intelligence technology firm in San Diego that is trying to build human-computer interfaces. Genotaur wants to provide its technology to companies in a number of different fields, and Tretton will help guide the startup’s search for partners in the gaming industry. Genotaur wants to make its own games, but it also wants to establish itself as the go-to resource for developers looking to implement A.I. that can understand people.
“This is a very exciting time for us at Genotaur as we develop new products and scale our business, focusing initially on implementation within the computer-entertainment business. Jack’s experience in every area of building and operating consumer products and interactive-entertainment companies will help us grow our capabilities at Genotaur,” the startup’s chief executive officer Tony Simpson, CEO said in a statement. “We are fortunate to have an executive of Jack’s knowledge and experience base on our team.”
Genotaur is working on a social mobile game that will combine augmented reality with its own technology. It hasn’t provided many details about the project, but it wants to use the product to showcase how its A.I. creates digital characters that understand what humans want to do, are trying to do, and would like to do. Genotaur claims that it can create an “effortless human-technology engagement” because its technology learns.
“Genotaur has an incredibly impressive array of resources and expertise that will greatly enhance the way consumers interact with technology,” said Tretton. “I look forward to sharing my passion for bringing interactive entertainment and cutting edge technology products to market with the team.”
Tretton joins an advisory board that includes several other top experts. Computer-science expert Jürgen Schultz, who teaches 3D user interfaces at UC San Diego, is also on the board, and so is original Xbox system architect Rob Wyatt. Finally, Sheldon Brown, the director of the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, is on the board and serves as the chairman and project director.