Reflections from six months in Barbados
It’s been two weeks since I’ve returned from my 6 month remote visa stay in Barbados. Thought I’d share some of my takeaways from the experience.
What’s happened in AI: June 24th-30th
Relatively slow week in the AI world. Major highlights include Uber’s acquisition of Mighty AI and Argo AI funding a $15mm research center at Carnegie Mellon. More weekly news below.
What’s happened in AI: June 17th-23rd
Company developments: C3.ai Named a Leader in Worldwide Industrial IoT Platforms for Energy by IDC MarketScape – Jun. 20, 2019 (Yahoo Finance) C3.ai, a leading enterprise AI software provider for accelerating digital transformation, today announced it has been named a leader in IIoT platforms within the energy sector according to the IDC Marketscape: Worldwide Industrial… Read More »
What’s happened in AI June 10th-16th
Company developments: Aptiv’s self-driving cars hit 50,000 ride milestone in Las Vegas – Jun. 14, 2019 (NBC) Their fleet currently offers ride-sharing options through Lyft, as users have the option to request the self-driving cars if they’d like to Facebook to open third London office with 100 new AI roles – Jun. 12, 2019 (VentureBeat)… Read More »
What’s happened in AI: June 3rd-9th
What do you do when you have a talented team but no chance to compete against better scaled competitors? You sell and move on. Looks like this is the situation Drive.ai finds itself in as it’s rumored to be in talks with Apple to be acquired.
I’m personally a huge fan of Drive.ai. They were one of two startups I pitched in my AI VC thesis a few years ago (the other one being Netra). My thesis on them held true, as I said they were a strong candidate to be acquired by a self-driving player who felt “behind the game”, which Apple very much is. With that being said the return early stage investors are getting likely isn’t great as this will be an acqui-hire and Drive.ai was looking for a buyer for 6 months (not the best sign). Regardless, I wish the team the best of luck in their next adventure. More weekly news below.
What’s happened in AI: May 27th-June 2nd
Company developments: David Cameron takes job with US artificial intelligence firm – May. 31, 2019 (The Guardian) Cameron said on Friday: “The government I led took a wide range of steps to ensure the UK was successful in the new tech industries … As part of this work, I was excited to see the rapid… Read More »
What’s happened in AI: May 20th-26th
Company developments: Siemens Unveils Simulation Tool for Testing of Autonomous Vehicles – May. 24th, 2019 (Design News) Known as PAVE360, the new tool allows developers to design and test an autonomous vehicle system-on-chip (SoC) and its surrounding electronic components in a completely virtual environment. “We don’t just model the analog or electromechanical systems,” noted David… Read More »
What’s happened in AI: May 13th-May 19th
China’s focus on facial recognition continues to expand to various use cases. The latest? Pandas. Our favorite bear is now the subject of a new app developed by China’s Research and Conservation Centre. Given there’s less than 2,000 wild pandas left, the government is focusing on ways to conserve the population. More weekly news below.… Read More »