Hey there! 👋

Here's the latest in the AI LA Community:

• Don’t miss our monthly Biotech mixer tonight (2/29) in DTLA!

• Our first-ever aerospace mixer is happening next Thursday (3/7)

• AI Policy Happy Hour is returning to DTLA on 3/14

• Check out this recap of our second Founders & Investors event

• Upcoming premiere: "Our T2 Remake" AI movie on 3/6

Upcoming Events

Biotech x AI – BioSync Mixer 2/29 (DTLA)

Venture into the cutting-edge crossroads of AI and Biotech at our BioSync AI Mixer! We are excited to announce this brand-new initiative, a collaboration between AI LA, Bioscience LA, BitsinBio, and Nucleate. 

​Headlining the event is a Fireside Chat led by Wim Kees Janssen, Co-Founder & CEO, Syntho. We will also have a special Lightning Talk on "Scaling for Commercialization" from LA's very-own Evan Tsang, VP of Skylar Consulting.

​Join us at Larta Institute on February 29th, 2024, from 5pm to 8pm, for a unique exploration as Wim offers insightful perspectives on the dynamic intersection of AI, Biotech, and synthetic data. The talk will be followed by an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and expand your network within a diverse community of enthusiasts, innovators, and industry leaders! 

AI and the Space Economy 3/7 (DTLA)

The aerospace landscape is perpetually adjusting and expanding, with recent exponential growth in the number of organizations supporting an AI-integrated future of the space economy.

​Join us for an in-depth exploration of recent innovations utilizing AI for aerospace applications, and the challenges and opportunities that exist in this ecosystem.

AI Policy Happy Hour 3/14 (DTLA)

Join us for our second-ever AI Policy happy hour in the vibrant heart of downtown LA! This unique event brings together curious minds in artificial intelligence, policy-making, and tech innovation to exchange ideas and insights.

Recap – LA Founders & Investors Mixer

At the recent AI LA fireside chat, Emad Hasan (Founding CEO of Retina AI) and Connor Sundberg (Principal @ Amplify.LA) discussed the transformative journey of AI in entrepreneurship from the initial wave of machine learning commercialization to the current era of Generative AI, which minimizes reliance on large proprietary datasets. They explored the shift towards more accessible AI through prompt engineering, reducing the need for extensive data science teams, and the democratization of AI technology.

Key themes included the enduring importance of proprietary data and distribution in creating value, the potential of AI to streamline service-heavy sectors, and the critical considerations of ethics, transparency, and regulation in AI development. The event underscored the rapid evolution of the AI landscape, offering a wealth of opportunities for innovation and disruption.

AI Regulatory Roundup

For this week’s regulatory roundup, I’m writing about the Google Gemini AI backlash.  After introducing and launching Gemini’s image generator feature, Google faced heavy criticism for the AI’s output.  Specifically, Gemini was criticzed for its “woke” outputs - including racially diverse Nazis, a female pope, and racially-swapped images of the Founding Fathers and Google’s co-founders.  Ultimately, Google suspended the image generation features, with CEO Sundar Pichai calling the mistakes “unacceptable” and promising changes for its future launches. 

The Gemini backlash sparked new conversations surrounding bias and how companies should address these issues.  As raised by Vox, bias is a complex and nuanced issue.  Companies focused simply on reducing all instances of bias can create systems with unclear, sporadic, and controversial outputs.  Rather, a more nuanced and realistic view of bias could lead to better outcomes. Most importantly, companies will need to seriously consider their own values and principles when developing ethical and responsible AI systems.