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- 3rd Week of December Recap: AI Milestones Close Out 2024 & Austin Meetup Recap
3rd Week of December Recap: AI Milestones Close Out 2024 & Austin Meetup Recap
From $457M university investments to smart highways, Texas goes all-in on AI
AITX Team
December 20, 2024
Hello everyone! AITX Team here with more updates this week.
If you’re new here, welcome! 👋 At AITX, we aim to:
Connect you with like-minded peers passionate about AI.
Provide a space for sharing ideas and receiving feedback on AI projects you’re building.
Share helpful tools and invaluable resources.
Before we jump into the regular news, a few housekeeping items:
December AITX Meetups:
Our upcoming meetups:
Austin Meetup: January 28, 2025 | sign up here!
To stay in the loop on all our monthly meetups and other community organized events, subscribe to our AITX calendar here.
Check out our Community Directory:
We recently started a community directory where you can fill out your profile and find other members of the AITX community.
If you haven’t filled out your profile yet, please follow the link HERE and submit your information.
In this week’s edition you’re getting:
🤠 Meetup Recap
5 Upcoming Events
3 AI Community Stories
1 Community Highlight
So let’s jump in!
AITX Austin Meetup Recap
AITX Monthly Meetup | December 17, 2024
Demos
1. Cofactor AI by Adi Tantravahi
Cofactor AI is a healthcare technology company that helps hospitals and medical providers deal with insurance claim denials more effectively.
Their platform aims to reduce the administrative burden on medical teams while helping healthcare providers recover revenue that would otherwise be lost due to denied claims, allowing providers to focus more on patient care rather than paperwork.
2. Pod Nebula by David Kurkov
Pod Nebula is the First Intelligent Podcast Player. Skip the clickbait, dive deeper into the conversation, and discover your next favorite show.
Visit podnebula.com
3. Toolhouse by Orlando (orlie) Kalossakas
Toolhouse is a cloud infrastructure platform that helps developers equip Large Language Models (LLMs) with actions and knowledge through a simple 3-line SDK.
The platform functions like an app store for AI tools, allowing developers to easily implement features like semantic search, RAG, and code execution while optimizing for low latency and reduced token usage across all major LLM frameworks.
UPCOMING EVENTS
When: Wednesday, January 8, 2025 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM CST
Where: Capital Factory 701 Brazos St · Austin, TX
What: Supercharging Customer Service with AI: Boost Efficiency & Personalization: A Playbook for Solopreneurs, Marketers and Businesses.
When: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM CST
Where: Oracle 2300 Oracle Wy · Austin, TX
What: Join us for deep dive tech talks on AI, GenAI, LLMs and ML, food/drink, networking with speakers and fellow developers.
When: Friday, December 27, 2024 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Austin Austin · Austin, TX
What: Join a friendly Tech dinner group in Austin TX for conversations about Tech AI & Startups and meet new friends every Wednesday and Friday.
When: Thursday, January 9, 2025 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Capital Factory 701 Brazos St, 16th Floor · Austin, TX
What: Welcome to Hack AI, a monthly mini-hack session for developers all over the Austin area to build cool stuff related to AI. We discuss Agents, Voice AI, Large Language Models, Computer Vision, and more!
When: Thursday, January 9, 2025 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM CST
Where: 701 Brazos St 701 Brazos St · Austin, TX
What: Join us for a social hour and mixer at the first Artists and the Age of AI Meetup of 2025! Enjoy complimentary refreshments and drinks while connecting with other artists, creatives, and technologists working in the arts, tech, and AI space.
COMMUNITY STORIES
The University of Texas at Austin wrapped up its designated "Year of AI" with record-breaking achievements, cementing its position as a powerhouse in AI research and education.
Why it matters: These investments and initiatives position Austin to become an even more significant hub for AI innovation and talent development, directly impacting the local tech ecosystem.
Need-to-know:
Secured $457M from NSF for new AI computing facilities at TACC, housing the world's fastest academic supercomputer
Launched new Center for Generative AI with the largest academic AI computing cluster in the country
Welcomed first class of MS in AI students and created new undergraduate robotics honors program
Hosted over 100 AI-themed events connecting academia, industry, and community
Learn more here.
TxDOT is launching a comprehensive artificial intelligence initiative aimed at enhancing road safety and improving the driving experience across Texas.
Why it matters: This represents one of the largest state-level AI implementations in transportation, positioning Texas at the forefront of smart infrastructure innovation
Need-to-know:
Plans include 230 potential AI use cases to be implemented over the next 3 years
Initiative brings together TxDOT engineers, planners, and tech experts in collaborative approach
Agency actively partnering with technology companies to enhance driver experience
Learn more here.
After an AI-generated fake nude photo incident, 15-year-old Elliston Berry is advocating for the Take It Down Act, a bipartisan bill requiring social media platforms to remove AI-generated non-consensual pornographic content.
Why it matters: As Texas emerges as an AI tech hub, this case highlights crucial challenges around AI safety and regulation that directly impact our community.
Need-to-know:
Deepfake pornographic videos increased by 460% last year, with over 21,000 videos online
The Take It Down Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, has passed the Senate
Proposed law would require immediate removal of AI-generated non-consensual content
Learn more here.
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COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
This week we’re spotlighting an OG of the AITX Community, Georges Colbert, CEO of Albatroz.AI.
Here's what Albatroz.AI has been up to:
• Launched their AI leasing agents across the real estate sector, with a special focus on helping apartment communities automate and improve their leasing process
• Expanded their platform to handle leads across all major channels - prospects can now engage with their AI agents through: Email, Text messages, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other social platforms
• Just wrapped up an exciting case study at Highland Oaks where their AI platform doubled lead traffic in only 4 weeks (Link to case study)
• Georges shared his journey and vision on Jason Calacanis's "This Week in Startups" podcast, spreading the word about the Austin-based proptech innovation (Podcast here)
Georges is looking to connect with angel investors, and seeking introductions to multifamily property managers, property asset owners, or residential real estate professionals.
You can connect with him here.
That’s all for now, folks!
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