AOL drops millions into new Cornell Tech lab to invent new ad and video tech

Today AOL and the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute announced they’re partnering to build a Connected Experience Lab co-located in New York City and Israel. AOL is contributing millions of dollars to the project.

Researchers in the laboratory will use data analysis to create systems for delivering personalized content as well as new tools for connecting people. Areas of study include human-computer interaction, computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, and social computing. Part of that, put simply, will be innovation centered on developing advertising and video products — an area of keen interest for AOL. The media company will give researchers access to some of its data, platforms, and product knowledge as a part of the partnership.

Neither AOL nor Cornell is putting an exact figure on AOL’s overall financial contribution because the expenses will be ongoing and are yet undetermined.

The program will feature two labs, one in New York City and one at the Technion campus in Haifa, Israel. A fellowship is being set up to support the work of graduate students and faculty at these locations. Cornell says that half of the program’s researchers and faculty will be women.

Cornell University is trying to bill itself as a hub for eager young engineers and tech entrepreneurs. Two years ago it announced its New York City tech campus, which is slated to open in 2017. Students currently attending Cornell’s NYC Tech program are using a facility in Manhattan’s West side donated by Google.

The Connected Experience Lab is the university’s latest attempt to become the go-to educational center for Silicon Alley.