Invest Like The Best
Episode 272 A Primer on AI
Invest Like The Best

Episode 272: A Primer on AI

Invest Like The Best

Episode 272

A Primer on AI

Alexandr Wang is the CEO and founder of Scale AI. We cover the building blocks behind a successful artificial intelligence business, the significant role of AI in global security, and why data is supplanting code as a company's most valuable asset.

This episode is brought to you by:

Canalyst. Canalyst is the leading destination for public company data and analysis. If you're a professional equity investor and haven't talked to Canalyst recently, you should give them a shout. Learn more and try Canalyst for yourself at canalyst.com/Patrick

Lemon.io. The team at Lemon.io has built a network of Eastern European developers ready to pair with fast-growing startups. We have faced challenges hiring engineering talent for various projects - and Lemon.io offered developers for one-off projects, developers for full start to finish product development, or developers that could be add-ons to the existing team. Check out lemon.io/patrick to learn more.

[00:03:04] - [First question] - The role that AI and data play in geopolitics and foreign policy

[00:07:21] - The end state of a digital arms race akin to nuclear weapons

[00:08:53] - Current state of things writ large and how the public and private sectors differ

[00:11:33] - The flow and importance of talent when scaling AI and whether it’s more important than software 

[00:14:29] - His thoughts on how to communicate categories of what AI can do well and what is still a ways out but excited about

[00:20:18] - The process of creating an AI model and the stages of development

[00:23:19] - A growing trend of data becoming more valuable than code itself

[00:27:16] - Principles of building a great engine for gathering data

[00:29:04] - The state of technology around annotating data writ large

[00:31:31] - What Scale does as a business and their product lineup

[00:35:08] - The Store and Compute equivalents in the AI space in regards to Scale

[00:37:08] - How Scale fills the gap in producing better and cleaner data

[00:39:52] - What Scale will look like in 10 years if their vision is fully realized

[00:41:11] - Where AI is in the S curve of acceleration and where AI and software intersect

[00:44:32] - Questions to ask about how to incorporate AI and data sets into your business

[00:46:23] - What worries him about the proliferation of technology that makes AI more accessible to the masses

[00:48:27] - The most interesting AI model he’s ever come across and collapsing the friction between human intent and programmable outcomes

[00:51:51] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him 

A Primer on AI

Introduction

Patrick
My guest today is Alexandr Wang, the CEO and founder of Scale AI. Alexandr founded scale in 2016, having been inspired to accelerate the development of AI through his work at Cora and his studies at MIT. Specifically Alexandr realized that there was a lack of infrastructure solutions for producing high quality data, the lifeblood for AI models. Today Scale provides data solutions to leading AI teams at Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Flexport, the US Air Force and many others. This time last year, the business was valued at over $7 billion. Our conversation is a primer on AI. We discuss the building blocks beneath successful artificial intelligence, AI's role in both the public and private sector, and why data is the new code. We also cover the similarities and differences between AI and software from an investing perspective and what inspiration Scale takes from AWS. Please enjoy my great discussion with Alexandr Wang.

The Role of AI in Global Conflict and Diplomacy

Access the full transcript
Sign in or register to view episode transcripts.

Contact

Get in touch at help@joincolossus.com