A New Year with a Great Community | AITX Newsletter #3

Howdy, y’all!

The AITX Team here and back with some updates.

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

LAST MEETUP

This past meetup we had:

• 132 people registered to go

• 4 Pitches

From MidJourney to AI Agents, we had it all at this one. Here’s what our community brought to the table this month:

Agora Labs _{by Anish Moddipati}

Agora Labs creates AI development environments backed by cheap, high-powered GPUs.

In less than 5 minutes, you can go from selecting a model to GPU to fine-tuning an LLM with a Jupyter Lab interface.

You can check them out here.

MJX _{by Shep Bryan}

A suite of iOS shortcuts for Midjourney! It lest anyone design complex prompts with a single tap. You don’t need to be a prompt wizard to create beautiful images.

It’s currently in beta so you can reach out to Shep Bryan for more info!

Automi _{by Galem Kayo}

An AI company that invent practical solutions to accelerate human productivity in various fields.

The currently offer two platforms:

• QOBOTS: AI agents that collaborate with others on your behalf.

• QANVAS: Let’s you assemble top open-source models with no code required.

Check it out here.

DCSpark _{by Nico Arqueros}

A company building high quality crypto products that unify the user experience within blockchain ecosystems.

One of their AI related products is Shinaki.

Shinkai uses a special kind of file system called VectorFS and a network where computers connect directly to each other (peer-to-peer, or P2P).

This setup lets many AI programs work together quickly and easily with users, helping us move towards a future where the internet is smoothly run and organized by AI.

Check out DCSpark here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AI at Data Day Texas

• When: Saturday, January 27 | 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM CST

• Where: 1900 University Avenue · Austin, TX

• What: An all-star lineup of speakers from around the world. Topics covered include: Data Science, Data Engineering, Platforms, Data Products, Realtime Data, Business Intelligence, Analytics, MLOps, LLMs, Generative AI

AI in Everyday Life: A Casual Discussion Group

• When: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 | 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.

The GPT Builders of Austin, TX

• When: Thursday, February 1 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST

• Where: Freddo ATX 2336 S Congress Ave · Austin, TX

• What: Networking event focused on connecting tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders in Austin. This event is ideal for those interested in the latest developments in GPT technology and its impact on various industries.

Coffee Chat: How will AI be used in the 2024 Election?

• When: Monday, January 29, 2024 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST

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

• What: A roundtable event where the latest in artificial intelligence is the main topic of discussion. Designed for AI enthusiasts, tech professionals, and anyone intrigued by the advancements in AI and GPT technologies, this event is a weekly rendezvous to explore and debate the most recent developments in the field.

Tech and Trends - Meetup

• When: Sunday, January 28 | 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM CST

• Where: Radio Coffee & Beer 4204 Menchaca Rd · Austin, TX

• What: Discuss everything from AI, cryptocurrencies, and VR to societal shifts and macro trends.

COMMUNITY STORIES

Apple Moving AI to Austin 🤠 

Apple recently announced they are moving their AI team from San Diego to Austin Texas.

Many employees are hesitant to relocate but may not have a choice — Apple said they will be terminated if they do not choose to move (This is bad for Californians but good for those in Austin looking for jobs in AI!).

Read more here.

UT Designates 2024 “The Year of AI” 🤖 

The University of Texas at Austin is dedicating 2024 to advancing AI research and education, featuring signature events, new partnerships, and the launch of a unique online master's degree in AI.

Read more here.

AI Computing Clusters - Everything’s Bigger in Texas 🧠 

The University of Texas at Austin is establishing a major AI hub, the Center for Generative AI, equipped with a powerful new GPU computing cluster and hosted by the Texas Advanced Computing Center to lead in AI research and infrastructure.

The Center will be focusing on:

• Biosciences

• Health Care

• Computer Vision

• Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Industry Applications

This initiative is part of UT's broader commitment to AI, demonstrated through recent significant investments and initiatives, including the launch of an online master's program in AI, partnerships in computational oncology and machine learning, and the establishment of ethical AI systems through the Good Systems initiative

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

We had some folks discuss the possibility of doing a sister meetup in the Round Rock / Cedar Park area.

This is still in early development but we want to keep you all abreast of these changes as our community grows.

It’s truly humbling to see more engagement from our members with a passion for cultivating the best community for AI.