Conversations on Applied AI

The conversation this week is with Will Preble. Will is a media and tech entrepreneur passionate about the intersection of Web3 and human potential. He believes the world needs strong, empathetic, and holistically minded leaders who are willing to break from models of the past and help their communities imagine abundant futures. He is currently the head of strategy at Ascendance, where he partners with brands and leaders to amplify reach, revenue, and impact through AI and emerging technologies. Additionally, he is the director of advancement and a founding board member of Smart North, a Minnesota based 501c3 organization that is dedicated to closing the digital equity gap in marginalized urban and rural communities.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• Ascendance
• Smart North
• Web3
• Bubble

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with David Epsindola. David is an entrepreneur, futurist, keynote speaker,  award-winning author, consultant, and advisor to businesses, nonprofits, and academia. He founded Brainyus, a company that applies the principles of transformative purpose, lifelong learning, And servant leadership to guide human AI transformation. David has been featured in the U S and international media, ranging from Fox News to TV Global. He is the award-winning author of Soulful You in the Future of Artificial Intelligence and the Exponential Era and an advisory board member of the Technological Leadership Institute at the University of Minnesota. David continues to get back through his work with Feed My Starving Children and other nonprofits.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• Brainyus
• DavidEspindola.com
• Feed My Starving Children
• The Exponential Era: Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Curve in an Era of Chaotic Changes and Disruptive Forces by David Espindola, Michael W. Wright
• OODA loop
• Soulful: You in the Future of Artificial Intelligence by David Espindola
• Technological Leadership Institute
• MIT Sloan AI Online Course

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with Jenny Zhang, otherwise known as Jay-Z. Jenny has been a senior AI product manager who has launched machine learning products for Capital One, which saved more than a hundred million dollars annually, retained employees, and retained customers. A graduate of Stanford University, she is currently a co-founder and senior product manager of Founder Design Thinking, where she works with creators who want more reach by helping them to speak on a podcast, find AI tools that help their startup, and prioritize features that users love.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• callmejz.ai
• AI Marketing
• Speaker Profile
• HeyGen
• Roblox
• Art Basel
• TheresAnAIForThat
• NoCode AI Discord Channel
• Product Led Alliance
• Headliner

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with Bradley Canham. Brad is the VP of Research for Transforma Insights, a UK based high tech analyst firm, corporate fellow and mentor at the University of St. Thomas Opus School of Business and Entrepreneur Program. He's also a member of the learning community at St. Thomas on generative AI and education. He's the founder and original editor of Eden Prairie Local News, a thriving news publication and example of social entrepreneurship.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• Transforma Insights
• Eden Prairie Local News
• Natural language processing
• Customer relationship management
• GitHub Copilot
• Teaching What Can't Be Taught: The Shaman's Strategy by David Rigoni
• Carlos Castaneda
• Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers by John Kay and Mervyn King
• Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans and Avi Goldfarb

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with Michael Petersen. With over 30 years of engineering, marketing, and leadership experience, he is the founder and CEO of Raise a Hood Inc., a startup that aims to democratize the automotive maintenance and repair sector through AI, crowdsourcing, and community platforms.
He enjoys building outstanding specialized teams that are committed to a shared vision and a culture of excellence, collaboration, and diversity. As a passionate automotive enthusiast, he spends his free time building engines. Practicing vehicle dynamics and riding adventure bikes. He also serves as a board member and CMO of Sunset Hospice Cottage, a nonprofit organization that supports patients and families in their end-of-life journeys.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• How AI is Changing the Future of Car Diagnostics
• Role of AI and Databases in Automotive
• Automotive Sector and Average Americans
• Mechanics, AI, and Customer Interaction
• Impact of COVID-19 and AI Development
• Raise A Hood Press
• Tekne Awards

The conversation this week is with Alex Muller. Alex is the founder of Savvy AI, where he and his team run a mission to make AI work for all of us.

Previously, he co-founded GP Shopper, which was later acquired by Synchrony in 2017. During his time there, he served on their investment committee, where he helped the venture team evaluate prospective venture investments. His current interests are innovative AI ML-based products, tools, and companies.

And supporting fellow diverse founders to refine their operations, technology, vision, and strategy as they go through their entrepreneurial journey. He was named by Forbes as a top 10 CEO disrupting the retail industry through technology.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• How AI is Changing Every Industry
• The Top 10 Industries Using AI Today
• How AI is Changing the Retail Industry
• What is the Difference Between Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning?
• A Beginner's Guide to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• GPShopper Acquired
• Savvy AI
• GP Shopper
• Synchrony Financial
• AI (Artificial Intelligence)
• ML (Machine Learning)
• Data Science
• MLS (Machine Learning as a Service
• IoT (Internet of Things)
• Reinforcement Learning
• Star Trek

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with Rehgan Avon. Rehgan is co-founder and CEO at Align AI. Align AI helps AI experts scale their knowledge faster and more effectively within their organization. She was the founder and is now a board member of Women in Analytics, whose mission is to increase the visibility of women making an impact in the analytics space. And provide a platform for women to lead conversations for the advancement of analytical research development and applications. And if that wasn't enough to keep her busy, she is also on the advisory board of OhioX.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• Align AI
• Women in Analytics
• OhioX
• Natural language processing
• Amazon QuickSight
• DataConnect Conference
• Renée Cummings
• Chip Huyen
• Cassie Kozyrkov
• Noelle Silver

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with Beth Rudin. Beth is the CEO of Bast AI and a global executive leader with 20 plus years of IT and data science experience. Previously, she has held roles such as Chief Data Officer, Chief Data Scientist, and Distinguished Engineer. In 2023, she was recognized as one of the 100 most brilliant leaders in AI ethics. At Bast, Beth and the team developed software that allows humans to create their own AI, redefining the experience of the human for our shared future. She believes we have a vested interest in creating AI that can explain itself to humans.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• Bast AI
• Abstract semantic graph
• Ontology
• Kubernetes Clusters
• Natural language processing
• Structured Query Language
• Imaginable by Jane McGonigal
• AI Superpowers by Kai-fu Lee
• Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Inmates Are Running the Asylum by Alan Cooper
• AI for the Rest of Us by Phaedra Boinodiris and Beth Rudden
• The Information by James Gleick
• The Overstory by Richard Powers

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with Steve Hsu. Steve is a professor of Theoretical Physics and Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. He is also the founder of SuperFocus.ai, which is for lack of a better term Enterprise GPT. However, its AI uses large language models, but with customer-defined memory to eliminate hallucinations.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• Steve Hsu on Twitter
• Superfocus.ai
• Hallucination (artificial intelligence)
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Foundation models
• Claude.ai
• Llama 2
• Artificial general intelligence
• Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy by Andrew Yang

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens

The conversation this week is with Cameron Wolfe. Cameron has a passion for leveraging academic research and industry to solve large scale industrial problems. He is currently the director of AI at c, personalized search and recommendations platform for D to C e-commerce brands, where he works with an amazing team of engineers and researchers. He holds a PhD in computer science from Rice University, and a bachelor's in computer science from UT Austin. Finally, he's an avid fan of Mixed Martial Arts MMA and is actively training in Brazilian jujitsu. He enjoys exercising, going for walks, runs or hikes nearly every day, preferably with his dog Theodore and his fiancee, Sara. Some of his other interests include brewing, roasting coffee, reading books and cooking.

If you are interested in learning about how AI is being applied across multiple industries, be sure to join us at a future AppliedAI Monthly meetup and help support us so we can make future Emerging Technologies North non-profit events!

• Emerging Technologies North
• AppliedAI Meetup

Resources and Topics Mentioned in this Episode

• CameronRWolfe.me
• Cameron Wolf on Twitter
• Rebuy Engine
• Freshman Research Initiative UT Austin
• Neural Networks Research Group
• Deep (Learning) Focus Newsletter
• Cloud Bigtable
• Dask

Enjoy!

Your host,
Justin Grammens