Chardonnay and charcuterie are no competition in a world upended by generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney. We're about eight months into the Al revolution, and this invite-only happy hour hosted by venture firm NFX in its offices in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco may well be its epicenter. The firm is arguably the most prominent investor in generative AI, and it's looking to find fresh talent worthy of some of its $150 million seed fund.
General partner James Currier observes the frenzy from a quiet adjoining room with a jaded eye. He estimates that he's already met with 200 AI startups, the majority of which still don't seem to get it. The technology is ready. It's been ready. What's missing is the point of view to transform it into the earth-rocking endgame of software as we know it.
"So you're investing in the design layer of AI," I suggest.
"Exactly," says Currier.
What Currier, a fast talker wearing a '90s-dad-approved open buttondown over a T-shirt, is searching for is a company that figures out the interface of the future that will allow users to tap into these burgeoning AI models not simply to write a poem or paint a picture, but to change day-to-day life and work as we know it. Currier points to an example of the shift he's waiting for: Even after the launch of the iPhone in 2007, it took three years for developers to realize that the combination of touchscreen, GPS, data connection, and app-store distribution could coalesce into society-rattling businesses like Uber. "I think there are big things, but no one wants to whisper them because they're scared-deep down, people are psychologically scared about what this means," says Currier, speaking in the kind of cryptic koans endemic to the AI boom. "They're not thinking the big thoughts."
この記事は Fast Company の September 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Fast Company の September 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
THE NEW RULES OF BUSINESS TRAVEL
In the era of hybrid teams, everyone is a road warrior-not just sales teams and C-suite execs. It's part of why business travel spending is expected to finally reach, and perhaps surpass, pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, according to Deloitte. But, as with everything, work trips are not what they were in 2019. From airlines to banks, companies are finding new ways to make business travel easier-and even a little fun.
INTELLIGENT IMPACT
BUSINESS LUMINARIES SHARE HOW AI CAN INTERSECT WITH SOCIAL MISSION.
REDDIT'S REVENGE
IN AN ERA OF AI UPHEAVAL. THE CACOPHONOUS SOCIAL HUB EMERGES AS THE HUMAN-DRIVEN INTERNET'S LAST GREAT HOPE.
SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE
In the Ozempic era, Weight-Watchers is remaking itself to be something for everyone meal-plan program and a tele-health prescription service. But have consumers already lost their appetite?
10/10 - THE 10 MOST INNOVATIVE PEOPLE OF THE LAST 10 YEARS
In honor of Fast Company's 10th Innovation Festival in September, we identified 10 industrious leaders whose groundbreaking efforts defined the past decade in business. We spoke to them about their extraordinary achievements in tech, medicine, entertainment, and more. And we explored how the impact of their work has withstood passing fads, various presidential administrations, a pandemic, and many, many quarterly reports.
The Mysterious Reappearance of the Reggie Bar
How a beloved 1970s candy got called back up to the major leagues.
Gabriella Khalil
Gabriella Khalil, creative director, answers our career questionnaire.
The Fast and the Furious
High prices at McDonald's, Taco Bell, and other chains are sparking consumer revolt.
Lost in Truncation
Lost in Truncation Generative AI was supposed to unleash our creativity. Instead, it became our cultural trash compactor. Welcome to the age of summarization.
Campus Radicals
Welcome to UATX, Austin's new well-funded and controversial anti-woke university.
