An AGI research lab,building applied AI systems.
iCog Labs is an artificial general intelligence research and development company and AI solutions provider serving global markets. From Dubai and Addis Ababa, the lab connects foundational AGI research to applied systems in robotics, language, bioinformatics, data infrastructure, automation, and emerging technologies.
- Founded
- 2013
- Experts
- 200+
- Locations
- DubaiAddis Ababa
Creating safe, beneficial AGI
that remains open and useful.
Our mission is to develop intelligent systems that solve complex global problems while keeping the benefits of AI open, democratized, and accessible. The work is technical, but the aim is practical: useful tools, stronger science, and broader access to safe AI systems.
- Research
Neural-symbolic reasoning, memory, attention, motivation, and the long road to practical AGI.
- Systems
Applied systems for biomedical discovery, AI media, high-quality data, generative video, and enterprise AI deployment.
- Talent
A global team selected for technical depth, trained through real work, and connected to partners across continents.
Founded in Addis Ababa, connected to global AI research.
When iCog Labs was founded in 2013, building serious AGI research capacity from Ethiopia was a deliberate bet: that strong engineering can come from places where teams learn to build across constraints and connect software directly to practical problems.
Today the lab works across foundational research and production systems, with international partners, open-source AGI networks, and a growing community of engineers and researchers building safe, beneficial AI systems.
Leadership and scientific direction.
- 01iCog Labs
Getnet Aseffa
Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder and CEO. Leads iCog Labs across research, operations, and global partnerships, connecting the lab from its Addis Ababa origins to applied AI work for international markets.
- 02iCog Labs
Dr. Ben Goertzel
Chief Scientific Advisor
AGI researcher and founder of SingularityNET and the OpenCog project. Advises iCog Labs on long-horizon research for beneficial artificial general intelligence.
Company milestones.
- 2013
iCog Labs is founded
Founded by Getnet Aseffa and Ben Goertzel as a dedicated AI research and development company with roots in Addis Ababa and ambitions for global impact.
- 2014
OpenCog collaboration deepens
The lab grows as a contributor to the OpenCog AGI platform, linking local engineering talent to an international research community.
- 2015
iCog Makers launches
A pan-African makers initiative expands practical technology training through partner universities in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Kenya.
- 2018
Solve IT begins its national run
A nationwide innovation competition supported by international partners helps decentralize technology entrepreneurship across Ethiopia.
- 2024
A decade of AI research and deployment
More than ten years of continuous AI R&D across AGI, robotics, language, bioinformatics, data systems, and applied engineering.
Partners in research, robotics, and applied AI.
International research firms, open-source foundations, robotics groups, and AI platforms that support open, human-centered intelligence.
AGI research networks
Organizations advancing open, neural-symbolic, and long-horizon AGI research.
- SingularityNET
- OpenCog Foundation
- Novamente LLC
Robotics and cognition
Collaborators working on embodied intelligence, AI systems, and human-facing robotics.
- Hanson Robotics
- Biomind LLC
AI platforms and language
Technology partners connected to language systems, applied AI infrastructure, and global deployment.
- Cohere