Generative AI - Driving Innovation and Leveling the Playing Field for Startups

In the podcast episode of Intel’s “Code Together” series, Generative AI - Driving Innovation and Leveling the Playing Field for Startups, host Tony Mongkolsmai interviews Jonas Menesklou, CEO of AskUI. They talk about how Generative AI is changing the way startups and developers compete in a rapidly changing world powered by AI solutions. They also discuss how human computer interaction will be affected by AI and how AskUI is helping enterprises streamline and test their workflows.

The Role of AI in Enhancing Automation

AskUI's innovative approach centers around using AI to tackle the challenge of identifying objects on a screen, a task critical to automating interactions, especially within legacy applications or when accessing data from non-programmatic sources. The company employs computer vision models alongside various multimodal models to interpret unstructured data and comprehend natural language, moving beyond the limitations of rule-based systems. This advancement enables automation in areas previously considered too complex or rule-defiant, such as compliance checks or processing unstructured data into structured formats.

Trends and Future Directions in AI

Menesklou highlighted human-computer interaction as a key trend in AI, particularly the potential for natural language to revolutionize how we interact with computers. The discussion also touched on the possibilities within augmented reality, envisioning a future where computer vision seamlessly connects the digital world to our physical surroundings, enhancing user experiences in unprecedented ways.

The Challenge of Localized AI Systems

A significant aspect of deploying AI solutions in enterprise settings is the preference for on-premise systems due to security concerns. This trend poses unique challenges, necessitating customization and adaptation to various infrastructural setups. Despite these hurdles, Menesklou emphasized the strategic importance of meeting these requirements to ensure privacy and data security, a critical consideration for enterprises.

Specifically, AskUI is running its Kubernetes (K8s) cluster on Intel processors:

• 1x r4.xlarge: Intel Xeon (Broadwell E5-2686 v4)
• 4x m5.large: erste oder zweite Generation der Intel Xeon Platinum 8000er-Prozessoren (Skylake-SP oder Cascade Lake)
• 1x m4.2xlarge: Intel Xeon-Prozessor (Broadwell E5-2686 v4 oder Haswell E5-2676 v3)
• 2x c6i.12xlarge: Intel-Xeon-Prozessoren der 3. Generation (Ice Lake 8375C)

Intel’s AI-optimized architectures, software tools and optimizations, and emphasis on security and privacy made AskUI’s system choices obvious. They plan to run even more of their ML models on Intel in the future in cases where they are currently hindered by high migration costs.

The Impact of AI on Content Production and Competitive Edge

Menesklou shared insights into how AI, particularly through models like ChatGPT, is revolutionizing content production. This innovation allows small teams to produce content at a pace and scale previously achievable only by larger companies with dedicated content teams. By leveraging AI for content creation, AskUI has managed to enhance its growth efforts significantly, demonstrating the transformative potential of AI in leveling the playing field for startups competing against well-established players.

A Founder's Journey and Entrepreneurial Spirit

Reflecting on his journey from a curious student to the co-founder of a pioneering startup, Menesklou's story is one of relentless curiosity, continuous learning, and the drive to solve problems through innovation. His approach, characterized by engaging with experts, gathering insights, and iteratively refining solutions, underscores the essence of entrepreneurial spirit in the tech industry.

A Vision for Open Source and Community Engagement

In a move towards contributing to the broader AI and machine learning community, AskUI has started to release models and tools to the open-source domain, fostering collaboration and innovation. This commitment not only reflects AskUI's dedication to advancing the field but also invites the community to participate in shaping the future of AI-driven automation.

Concluding Thoughts

Jonas Menesklou's insights offer a compelling glimpse into the possibilities AI holds for enterprise automation and beyond. As AskUI continues to innovate and contribute to the open-source community, it stands as a testament to the power of AI in driving efficiency, creativity, and competitive advantage in the digital age.

We encourage you to check out Intel’s other AI Tools and Framework optimizations and learn about the unified, open, standards-based oneAPI programming model that forms the foundation of Intel’s AI Software Portfolio.

The Guests:

Jonas Menesklou - CEO of AskUI

References

ChatGPT & Wolf, A. (2023, March 12). Summarize the main points from the following transcript. https://chat.openai.com