Boeing has invested in a round of funding for Singularity University, a part think tank, part business incubator, part education program that prepares people for futuristic technology scenarios.
Singularity University, named after a hypothetical future where humans merge with artificially intelligent machines, launched in 2009 and works out of leased space from NASA in Mountain View, Calif. On Thursday, the company announced it has raised $32 million in a round co-led by Chicago-based Boeing and WestRiver Group.
Singularity University was founded in 2008 by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis as a non-profit, but became a benefit corporation in 2012. Through online and offline courses, Singularity University teaches about new technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and digital biology. The group says its goal is to "educate, inspire, and empower leaders to apply exponential technologies to address humanity's grand challenges."
Boeing said it plans to collaborate with Singularity University in a variety of ways, which could include creating customized educational programs for Boeing employees and adding Boeing's technical experts to the program's faculty.
In a press release, Boeing said the investment represents its "commitment to furthering its digital transformation in its second century."
Singularity University wants to address the challenges of the future, and help leaders understand society's biggest technological breakthroughs. But the group is not without controversy. Bloomberg reported Thursday that Singularity University is facing allegations of sexual assault and fraud, and it follows news that Google withdrew funding for the program last year.
