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  • Texas-Sized Innovations and Community Highlights | AITX Newsletter #33

Texas-Sized Innovations and Community Highlights | AITX Newsletter #33

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AITX Team
August 23, 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:

  1. August AITX Meetups: 

    Our upcoming meetups:

    To stay in the loop on all our monthly meetups and other community organized events, subscribe to our AITX calendar here.

  2. 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:

5 Upcoming Events

3 Austin AI Community Stories

1 Community Highlight

So let’s jump in!

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • When: Wednesday, August 28 | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM CST

  • Where: The Brewtorium Brewery & Kitchen 6015 Dillard Cir A · Austin, TX

  • What: The perfect spot to mingle with a friendly mix of people who share an interest in AI and its potential. Whether you're looking to share your latest project, seek feedback and advice, or simply connect with like-minded individuals, this is the perfect opportunity to unwind and make new connections in a relaxed, casual environment.

  • When: Wednesday, September 4 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST

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

  • What: Fernando Gonzalez Aguirre is a seasoned B2B Growth Executive with a remarkable track record in scaling companies, crafting compelling brand narratives, and building robust marketing and sales organizations. He will be showing you how to amplify lead generation with AI.

  • When: Thursday, August 29 | 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM CST

  • Where: PMG 515 Congress Ave. # 1800 · Austin, TX

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

  • When: Thursday, September 12 | 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM CST

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

  • What: Connect with other artists, creatives, and technologists and stay updated on the latest developments in the arts and AI-tech space.

COMMUNITY STORIES

The Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has developed an AI-powered search tool to streamline research for child support field case workers.

Built on Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, this intelligent search engine provides quick access to legal and practice documentation, potentially saving thousands of work hours annually.

The project showcases how existing tools can be leveraged to create innovative solutions in government services.

Need-to-know:

  • The OAG's Child Support Division handles 1.5 million active cases and distributes over $4.5 billion in payments annually

  • The AI search tool uses retrieval augmented generation (RAG) for secure, accurate responses

  • Initial users report saving about one hour per week on research tasks

  • The system includes a 150-acronym glossary and allows for saved searches and citations

  • Key considerations for similar projects: document quality control, data modeling, and update frequency

  • The successful implementation has sparked interest in further AI applications within the agency

Learn more here.

Lingo Telecom faces a $1 million penalty for transmitting deepfake robocalls of President Biden's voice, aimed at discouraging New Hampshire primary voters. This FCC action highlights growing concerns about AI misuse in elections.

Need-to-know:

  • Calls spoofed caller IDs and discouraged voting in NH primary

  • Political consultant Steve Kramer indicted on 26 state charges

  • FCC mandates new compliance plan for Lingo Telecom

  • Part of broader FCC efforts to combat AI-generated election scams

  • Emphasizes need for clear disclosure of AI use in communications

Learn more here.

NextGEN Academy, a new private school in Austin, combines AI-driven learning with esports to teach life skills and core subjects to 5th-8th graders. The innovative approach aims to engage students through gaming while accelerating their learning.

Need-to-know:

  • Students learn core subjects via AI tutors for 2 hours daily

  • 4 hours of gaming workshops teach communication, leadership, and planning

  • No traditional teachers; only "coaches" or "guides"

  • Claims 4.6x faster learning compared to public schools

  • $25,000 annual tuition

  • Plans for professional esports arena in September

Learn more here.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

A big thank you to Joel Grus for his enlightening presentation on Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) at our recent AITX meetup in San Antonio!

Joel's hands-on approach to building a RAG system was both informative and engaging, showcasing his knack for making complex AI concepts accessible.

As the best-selling author of "Data Science from Scratch" and a veteran of companies like Goldman Sachs and the Allen Institute for AI, Joel brings a wealth of experience to our community.

We thank him again for sharing his expertise and fueling our collective enthusiasm for AI innovation in Texas!

Don't forget to check out Joel's shared code HERE and keep experimenting with RAG!

That’s all for now, folks!

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