Partnership between the university and the company will focus on studies regarding the optimization of the user experience and the impact of AI on work organization
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On July 28, USP and 99, a leading ride-hailing technology company owned by the Chinese group DiDi Chuxing, formalized a partnership to advance artificial intelligence (AI) research in Brazil. This is the first initiative of its kind undertaken by 99 in Brazil and establishes the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening the country’s tech talent ecosystem.
Since 2017, DiDi’s industry-university collaboration program has involved partnerships with over 70 universities worldwide and more than 300 research projects. At USP, Anna Helena Reali Costa, director of the School of Engineering (Poli), and Simeng Wang, CEO of 99, signed the agreement.
“This partnership reinforces Poli’s commitment to cutting-edge research and applied innovation, connecting the scientific knowledge generated at the university to real-world market challenges and training professionals prepared to lead the transformations brought about by artificial intelligence”, Costa emphasized.
The partnership initially calls for two lines of applied research. The first line of research is focused on optimizing the user experience and will use advanced artificial intelligence models to continuously improve customer service. The second line of research will investigate the impact of AI adoption on work organization by analyzing the structural changes brought about by the introduction of AI agents in corporate and organizational environments.
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Strategic collaboration
Simeng Wang explained that AI is central to 99, which has been using the technology for some time. “This collaborative project with the university will be very useful. We believe that people, specifically graduating students, can be agents of change in the company’s culture and pioneers in transforming work”, he said.
Eduardo Zancul, the driving force behind the partnership at USP, stated that collaborating with companies allows the university to explore current research topics relevant to advancing knowledge, business innovation, and student training through projects connected to real-world societal needs.
Caio Poli, the executive director of user experience at 99 and a Poli graduate, emphasized the importance of the partnership for the company, which was founded by two alumni of the School of Engineering. “In China, we already have a long tradition of cooperating with universities in various areas, including research and talent development. We want to bring this tradition to Brazil and leverage our full commitment to the Brazilian market to invest in our staff’s development”, he clarified.
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Caio explained that the partnership with USP is an important step toward aligning cutting-edge research with concrete industry challenges, accelerating artificial intelligence application development, and training highly qualified professionals. It will also help strengthen Brazil’s culture of innovation. He stated that “investing in science and talent means investing in the country’s future.”
The meeting also included Roberto Marcondes Cesar Junior and Denis Mauá, who are, respectively, the director and a professor at USP’s Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (IME); Antonio Carlos Marques, the director of the USP Innovation Center (InovaUSP); Fábio Cozman, the director of USP’s Center for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Ciaam); as well as professors Eduardo Zancul and Mario Salerno, who are both from Poli.
Written with information provided by the Press Office of the School of Engineering (Poli)
English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
