Boston Dynamics Appoints 'Key Figure Behind Alexa Development' Rohit Prasad as CEO

AI Expert With Experience in Generative, Multimodal, and AGI Technologies
Strengthening Physical AI Competitiveness by Integrating AI into Robotics
Accelerating Productization and Commercialization

Hyundai Motor Group's robotics subsidiary, Boston Dynamics, announced on October 7 that it has appointed Rohit Prasad, who led the development of Amazon’s Alexa and its artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This move is seen as an effort to strengthen Boston Dynamics' physical AI competitiveness and accelerate the commercialization and productization of its technologies.

CEO Prasad has played a key role in the advancement of various AI technologies, including voice and language AI, conversational AI, generative AI, multimodal AI, and artificial general intelligence (AGI). At Amazon, he was a core contributor from the early days of Alexa’s development, serving as Senior Vice President and Head Scientist of the Alexa and AGI Organization, where he was responsible for developing the Nova foundation model.

Rohit Prasad, CEO of Boston Dynamics

In particular, his strength lies in his experience translating AI research into real-world products and services. He led Alexa’s AI strategy and core technology development, and also participated in expanding Alexa into a broad range of products, services, and partner and developer ecosystems.

Boston Dynamics plans to accelerate its efforts to combine AI with robot mobility and task performance capabilities with this new appointment. Physical AI refers to technology enabling robots to perceive their environment, make situational judgments, and perform tasks in real-world spaces, with the integration of robotics hardware and AI software being key.

Before joining Amazon, CEO Prasad spent about 14 years at Raytheon BBN Technologies, where he was involved in AI research and the development of applied technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing, and speech recognition. Having gained experience from fundamental research to the development of real-world systems, he is recognized for his ability to translate technology into products.

Boston Dynamics is also expected to strengthen its integration of AI with its existing robotics technology while enhancing synergies with Hyundai Motor Group’s manufacturing, logistics, and mobility businesses. The plan is to apply and validate robotic technology in the Group’s industrial sites, thereby broadening the use of intelligent robots across industries.

Moreover, CEO Prasad is expected to accelerate talent acquisition by leveraging the strong network he has built in Boston, USA. Boston is recognized as one of the world’s leading hubs for innovation in AI, robotics, and advanced engineering, with top research institutions like MIT and Harvard University, global technology companies, and promising startups—making it a hotspot for next-generation AI and robotics talent.

CEO Prasad said, "Boston Dynamics is a company with distinguished capabilities in implementing physical AI, backed by world-class robotics technology. By merging advanced AI and robotics, we will create meaningful value in the real world and expand the scope of robotics applications across all industries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.