It's not clear what the new project is about. Transcript of part of the video (starting at 5:09 in):
Once AI theory tells you what to look for, it's easy to identify scientists, in physics and elsewhere, who think in the manner needed to initiate scientific research programs in fields where currently, only the surface features of science are present. Over the next few years, the Singularity Institute will identify and hire scientists who reliably follow such norms, and who also have good research track programs. More senior scientists can be hired for summer sessions, more junior ones frequently full-time. A dozen of each sounds like it would be plenty to lay foundations for a real science of nutrition. That's more than it took to lay the foundations of physics, and really, although physics may be fundamentally simpler than nutrition, we're not asking to outrun the bear, we are just asking to outrun the work of amateur scientists [performed] in their spare time just to benefit themselves. It's certain that science better than that can be laid with less work than it took to bring about physics.
Is SIAI getting into nutrition science? (It was hopefully just an example confusingly used, but the wording in the talk seems to imply that it's really about nutrition science, and that about 20 scientists will be hired by SIAI over the next few years to research nutrition.)
Nutrition is introduced earlier in the talk with the phrase "For example, consider nutrition," and more examples are mentioned later, so I don't think you have to worry.
A week ago I made a pitch for the Singularity Institute to a crowd of interested potential donors, along with a number of leaders of other non-profit organizations with relatively radical and innovative goals. The videos are here, and should be a good introduction to a significant part of the noosphere for people not yet familiar with it.