April Meetup Recap, Upcoming Meetups and More | AITX Newsletter #16

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.

April Meetup Recap

First, we would like to thank SaaStock for sponsoring this meetup and buying pizza for everyone.

We had 4 speakers at this past event. From sales training platforms to Meta’s Ray Bans, we had a great turn out.

Let’s dive into what each had to share:

Meta John Bockstanz

Meta made another appearance at this meetup and was kind enough to talk about Llama 3 as well as their latest AI-powered Ray Ban glasses!

We’d like to thank Meta for coming out again, showing their dedication to the AI ecosystem here in Austin.

You can connect with John on LinkedIn here.

Runway by LeaderAtlas Abraham Sorock

Abe showed us a demo of the runway tutor app, which aims to help people share their stories more effectively.

The app prompts users to input facts about their experiences and then synthesizes the information into key talking points.

These notes serve as a guide for storytelling, helping users be more clear, confident, and impactful when sharing their wins with others.

The app is designed to catalyze more people to share their stories, tap into untapped genius across teams and communities, and ultimately lead to richer conversations, better relationships, and more opportunities for the group.

You can connect with Abe on LinkedIn here.

Albotroz AI Georges Colbert

Albotroz is a platform that efficiently triages and prioritizes leasing inquiries via phone and email, providing real-time updates on a dynamic dashboard.

Streamline your leasing operations with Albatroz.AI.

You can connect with Georges on LinkedIn here.

Homeschooling Robert Gamble & Jonathan Chizick

Robert and Jonathan brought us a new idea of theirs (they finished hacking over the weekend!)

They envision and AI-powered platform to help parents in the homeschooling community find resources for their children.

You can connect with them on LinkedIn here:

• Robert

• Jonathan

Coachable AI  Justin Bianchini

Founder of Coachable, Justin Bianchini, was kind enough to demo what he’s working on!

Coachable AI empowers sales teams and improves performance with full, lifelike customer simulation role-plays and immediate, actionable coaching & feedback.

Learn more here.

You can connect with Justin on LinkedIn here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Back to Basics, AI Data Scientist, Lessons Learned Panel, Blockchain Agents 🦜 

• When: Wednesday, May 1 | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM CST

• Where: 1204 San Antonio St · Austin, TX

• What: An AI Middleware Users Group based in Austin, Texas, organized as a public good. Our mission is to "Learn in the Open," connecting with others engaged in the LangChain AI project and related technologies. Our code of conduct is straightforward: Be cool to each other, and don't be gross.

AI, The Mind, and Artificial Intelligence 🧠 

• When: Saturday, April 27 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST

• Where: Artly World 3806 Cherrywood Rd · Austin, TX

• What: This panel discussion will draw comparisons between Artificial Intelligence and the Human Mind, addressing perspectives on art and aesthetics and the impact of AI on human art.

Learn How to Generate 30 days of Content with Marky ⚙️ 

• When: Wednesday, May 1 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST

• Where: Capital Factory 701 Brazos St · Austin, TX

• What: Founder, Josiah Coad will demonstrate how to use Marky, to generate content with AI.

Beyond Analysis: Gemini, BigQuery, and GenAI for Smarter Decisions ☁️ 

• When: Wednesday, May 1 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM CST

• Where: 901 E 5th St. 901 E 5th St. · Austin, TX

• What: An exciting exploration of BigQuery's latest advancements! This event will dive into groundbreaking features announced at Google Cloud Next, including Data Canvas and Semantic Search. Prepare for insightful demos: an art-of-the-possible showcase featuring a finished application, and a hands-on exploration within the BigQuery console. Enhance your data analytics expertise!

Generative AI Social 🍸️ 

• When: Thursday, May 2 | 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST

• Where: Panera Bread 9901 N Capital of Texas Hwy Suite 100 · Austin, TX

• What: Talk about generative AI and its applications.

COMMUNITY STORIES

University of Texas Leads the Charge in AI Education and Research

• Congressional Support: UT's recent push for more federal backing in AI projects is resonating in Washington, with legislators recognizing the university's pivotal role in AI research.

• AI Education Pioneer: The launch of the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence program positions UT as a leader in AI education, ready to meet the demands of a rapidly growing AI workforce.

• National Impact: UT's initiatives are not just enhancing its own standing but are also contributing significantly to America's competitiveness in the global AI arena.

Watch here.

AI Boom Predicted to Fuel Increased Natural Gas Demand

• Significant Demand Increase: A report by Tudor Pickering Holt & Co highlights a projected spike in natural gas demand due to the growing power needs of AI data centers. By 2030, an additional 2.7 billion cubic feet per day could be required to support this surge.

• Rising Power Needs: With AI technologies like Generative AI expanding, U.S. power infrastructure struggles to keep pace. This has led to data centers directly negotiating with power producers or developing their own energy sources.

• Impact on Prices and Production: Natural gas prices are expected to average around $4 per million British thermal units in the latter half of the decade. However, prices dipped to a three-and-a-half-year low in February due to mild winter conditions, affecting production levels.

• Strategic Benefits for Companies: Pipeline operators such as Kinder Morgan, Williams, and Energy Transfer are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand. Producers like EQT and Chesapeake Energy are also expected to benefit significantly from the increased demand.

Read more here.

Texas Woman Lost Thousands to Scammer Posing as Singer Frankie Beverly

• Scam Overview: Linda Moore-Evans, a self-proclaimed superfan of Frankie Beverly, lost thousands of dollars to a scammer who convincingly impersonated the singer on Facebook.

• Scam Tactics: The scammer engaged Evans from December through April, using AI-generated voice messages and photos to gain her trust. A false promise of a personal meet-and-greet led to financial transactions.

• Impact and Response: After being alerted by Beverly's actual media team about the ongoing scam, Evans learned she was one of many targeted. The scam is part of a broader issue, with over 46,000 imposter scams reported in Texas in 2023 alone.

• Official Statement: Frankie Beverly's team has actively worked to combat these cyber-thieves, warning fans through social media and direct communications not to engage with suspicious offers. They are collaborating with Facebook and authorities to track down the scammers.

Read more here.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

This week, we’d like to shine the spotlight on Olga Bondareva—a passionate AI enthusiast and former Social Media Lead for Central and Eastern Europe at Microsoft.

With a background in leveraging technology for marketing strategies, Olga founded ModumUp, a Social Selling and LinkedIn marketing agency, six years ago.

Recently, Olga shared her expertise at a meetup hosted at Capital Factory, where she delivered an engaging presentation on optimizing LinkedIn profiles using AI.

You can find resource to that here:

• Video here 

• Slides here

Olga is also planning a new online event on building a personal brand on LinkedIn using AI which you can find here.

She will be sharing valuable insights on formulating effective positioning on social media, designing LinkedIn profiles, generating content ideas, and expanding professional network to drive B2B leads