Danijar Hafner, a 31-year-old entrepreneur with a track record of pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI), has launched a new venture focused on developing agents that can plan ahead for the unexpected. His startup, while still in stealth mode, is already home to humanoids programmed to navigate unknown environments. These robots, which Hafner imports from China, represent the next evolution in model-based reinforcement learning, a technique that allows agents to learn and predict outcomes in previously untested scenarios. This capability is crucial for sending robots into human spaces, where they will encounter floor plans and furniture they have never seen before.

Unlike other efforts, Hafner’s approach enables agents to execute complex tasks without the traditional real-world trial-and-error training. His work has led to significant breakthroughs, including agents that have demonstrated human-level performance in Atari 2600 games and the ability to mine diamonds in Minecraft. More recently, his DayDreamer project has explored how these agents can operate in physical reality, reacting to new experiences without specific training. Hafner’s vision is to solve problems that could change the world, and his work is a step towards a future where AI agents can handle the unpredictability of human life.