Factories that once depended on human operators could soon run with far less intervention, as KT, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and robotics company DAIM Research agreed Tuesday to develop technology that links artificial intelligence (AI) with machines on factory floors. KT said it signed a memorandum of understanding with KAIST and DAIM Research to develop, test and commercialize physical AI, with a focus on automating manufacturing processes and building what the partners call dark factories. The three parties will work on a dark-factory platform under a five-year project backed by the Ministry of Science and ICT to develop and demonstrate software platforms for autonomous manufacturing. KAIST and DAIM Research will contribute robotics technology and platforms for managing logistics and manufacturing robots, while KT will provide an operating platform designed to integrate and manage different robots and AI systems. KT also plans to apply edge AI, which processes data close to where it is generated, along with high-speed, low-latency network infrastruc