AI Policy, Cooking With AI, and More | AITX Newsletter #9

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.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AI, GenAI, LLMs and ML with Oracle 🤖 

• When: Tuesday, March 12 | 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST

• Where: Oracle 2300 Oracle Wy · Austin, TX

• What: Monthly in-person AI meetup in Austin, in collaboration with Oracle. Join us for deep dive tech talks on AI, GenAI, LLMs and ML, food/drink, networking with speakers and fellow developers.

AI in Everyday Life: A Casual Discussion Group 🌵 

• When: Wednesday, March 13 | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST

• Where: Bennu Coffee Highland 109 Jacob Fontaine Ln suite 600 · Austin, TX

• What: An engaging and interactive co-working session, "AI in Everyday Life", designed for AI enthusiasts and curious minds! In this gathering, we'll explore how artificial intelligence seamlessly integrates into our daily routines, making life more efficient and exciting.

AI Innovation's March Social ⛅️ 

New Meetup Alert 👀 

• When: Tuesday, March 12 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT

• Where: Central Machine Works 4824 E Cesar Chavez St · Austin, TX

• What: A central machine works to talk about the latest in AI.

How to Integrate ChatGPT Into Your Small Business 🏢 

• When: Monday, March 11 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST

• Where: The Meteor 2110 S Congress Ave · Austin, TX

• What: A roundtable event designed to spark a conversation about how small business owners are adapting and utilizing AI.

Austin AI Social Hour 🪩 

• When: Thursday, March 14 | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM CST

• Where: Lazarus Brewing Co. 4803 Airport Blvd · Austin, TX

• What: The perfect spot to mingle with a friendly mix of people who share an interest in AI and its potential.

COMMUNITY STORIES

More Texas Restaurants Cooking With AI

A significant shift towards integrating technology within the restaurant industry is gaining momentum.

60% of restaurant operators nationwide are planning to invest in technology to elevate the customer experience, aligning with a broader trend where businesses are embracing artificial intelligence.

The Texas Restaurant Association emphasizes the potential of technology to automate tasks, enhance efficiency, and improve service quality.

Example: A notable example of technological adoption is K BBQ, where robot servers are employed to deliver food to customers.

This movement towards technology investment underscores the industry’s commitment to leveraging the latest advancements for operational efficiency and a superior dining experience.

Read more here.

New Research Uses AI to Charge Power Grid

At the University of Texas, engineering professor Colin Day and a team of six researchers are pioneering the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into the development of future power grids. Their research is driven by two primary objectives:

1. Enhancing Grid Resilience: The goal is to make power grids more resilient against disruptions, such as the catastrophic Texas blackout in February 2021, which left over 4.5 million homes without power.

2. Adapting to Decentralized Energy Systems: The team aims to update power grids to handle a more decentralized energy system that includes renewable energy sources and individual household energy supplies, addressing the challenge posed by the grid's current outdated infrastructure.

The researchers are focusing on developing AI tools to:

• Predict the impact of potential future events (like climate-triggered storms or cyber intrusions) on the power grid.

• Facilitate communication between household technologies (e.g., solar panels, electric cars) to act as 'agents' that can predict and collaboratively solve problems.

Read more here.

Empowering Government with Generative AI: Insights from Guidehouse's Bassel Haidar

Bassel Haidar, a director at Guidehouse, discusses the transformative potential of generative artificial intelligence and large language models like GPT-4 in government operations.

He highlights the importance of ethical development, strategic application, and the evolving workforce landscape as AI creates new job types and necessitates skill enhancements.

This conversation reflects a broader movement towards the integration and responsible use of AI technologies in the public sector.

Read more here.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

This week, we want to shine the light on Surge.ai, an Austin-based AI startup!

AITX is honored to have co-hosted the first event this week with Surge called Content Frontier: A Practical Guide to Content Marketing with AI.

The event explored the full spectrum of AI's integration with content marketing—it was a night of great insights, invaluable connections, and a roster of brilliant speakers.

Here’s who spoke at the event:

1. Shep Bryan—gave a masterclass in Prompt Engineering & AI Workflows for Marketing.

2. Fernando Labastida—an AI-assisted book ghost writer, discussed how to write and AI-assisted book and design a new category.

3. Dean McBeth—a veteran of the industry, who gave us view into his world with using AI to be more efficient in various aspects of marketing.

4. Ferris Jumah—the CEO and Founder of Surge.ai, who gave a demo of Surge’s capabilities.

A big thanks to Ferris Jumah and Sarah Monen for helping plan this event too.