Published on
May 3, 2023
The field of generative AI has made significant advances, driven by the development of deep learning algorithms and the availability of vast amounts of data. Unlike other forms of AI, which rely on existing data to generate responses or make predictions, generative AI can produce new content from scratch.
At Sierra, we have been focused on AI / ML as a significant theme for the last decade. We determined that AI could improve efficiency for the enterprise and consumers and placed multiple bets in the space. Since 2020, we have also made distinct investments in generative AI via companies like Quillbot (acquired), Modulate, Weav.ai, and Approximate Labs.
As the buzz around generative AI increased in 2023, many members of our CXO advisory board questioned how it could be leveraged in an enterprise capacity. Due to the inbound interest and several new generative AI venture investments Sierra Ventures has made, we decided to build an afternoon of sessions around how the F1000 can implement and leverage generative AI.
Check out highlights from our Generative AI Event.
Assembling a Team of Experts
We began with 3X founder and CEO of Weav.ai, Peeyush Rai, giving an overview of where generative AI is today and the tectonic shift in enterprise Generative AI adoption. He explained the infrastructure, tools, and skills required to build generative AI apps. Peeyush ended with an excellent overview of what the F1000 leaders need to watch out for before adopting Generative AI tools and technologies. Click here to read more.
Read more about Peeyush's session.
After Peeyush, Vivek Farias, X2 founder and 7-year professor at MIT focusing on AI, dove deep into explaining transformers and the power of attention in deep learning. He took five sessions of his MIT class and condensed it into a 30 min session explaining what truly matters in understanding language. There's a mystique around what goes into these systems. However, their underlying mechanisms are fairly straightforward. To make generative AI seem less like a black box, there are two essential concepts to understand:
- How these systems are trained to pay attention to words in context
- How developers fine-tune these systems for various use cases.
Read more about Vivek's session and check out the video of his presentation.
Mahesh Ram, Head of Digital Experience at Zoom, next discussed the GenAI evaluation process and integration strategies. Highlighting his experience from being a founder and now working at Fortune 500 technology company, Mahesh gave insights to fellow founders on building for the enterprise and navigating the process.
We then pulled up an incredible panel of CXOs discussing current enterprise use cases. The panel included Kira Makagon, Chief Innovation / Technology Officer, RingCentral, Subha Tatavarti, Chief Technology Officer, Wipro, and Jonas Lavoie, Head of Product: AI & Platform, Notion. All three speakers highlighted what they are most excited about regarding generative AI for their respective companies and where they are already building and testing.
Sierra Ventures Generative AI event conceded with a sunset happy hour overlooking the Bay, allowing our CXOs, founders, and guests to connect and continue the conversation.
