PHOENIX — Business leaders hope Arizona will be at the forefront of the AI revolution. From software to robots, the Arizona AI Venture Network hosted a networking event showcasing many of the different AI businesses that call the Valley home.
“Artificial Intelligence is in effect computers that are able to think and reason like human beings with all the known knowledge in the universe stored in their memory banks," Bill Swartz, the founder of the AI Venture Network said.
One of the featured businesses is Revobots.
“Traditionally, robots have had to have very controlled environments, doing the same motion over and over again," Kent Gilson said.
Gilson's robot instead learns from humans about what job they should perform. At the event, the robot is pouring water back and forth into two separate cups after Gilson showed it how to do the task.
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Gilson doesn’t see it as replacing workers, but helping businesses hire labor they can’t get anyway.
“These are just going to go get a job," Gilson said. "Right now there are millions of jobs that are unfilled that we can’t find anyone to actually do.”
Applications of AI go far beyond robots. Scottsdale-based Oxygen4Life uses AI to detect chronic diseases. The AI scans the body and compares it to a database of other scans, helping people detect health issues earlier.
“It’s the world’s most advanced infrared imaging equipment to detect inflammatory and chronic diseases," Mike Maunu said. "I know we’ll save lives."
Karl Ernsberger is the founder of SkipCourse, and he is trying to use AI to help educate children.
"A school can only teach a certain number of courses or hire a certain number of teachers," Ernsberger said.
His AI model has students input their own assignments. It then helps them figure out their own learning curriculum.
"The feedback they get leads them to the next assignment," Ernsberger said. "Here's the next thing you should do, here's this field trip you can go on, here's a mentor in the field you're interested in you can connect with."
The World Economic Forum projects AI will create a 21% increase in the U.S. GDP by the end of the decade. Swartz hopes events like this help Arizona be part of that growth.
“I want to create a consortium across the state, rallying around AI and robotics, which helps make Arizona a world-class center.”
