AI
After Selling to IBM, Founder Aims to Add 'Agentic Memory' to Enterprise Data
2024-12-05
In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the concept of an “AI agent” remains a subject of much debate. While not everyone is in unanimous agreement on its exact definition, one thing is clear - these agents are causing quite a stir. At a broad level, these so-called “agents” hold the promise of going far beyond the capabilities of a simple chatbot, enabling them to make decisions and take actions on behalf of people. Some may assist with online shopping, while others could enhance the efficiency of factories with varying degrees of autonomy.

Unleashing the Power of Dynamic Memory in Enterprise Workflows

Across AI's Mission in the Enterprise World

Across AI is emerging as a key player in this arena, coming out of stealth to develop a “dynamic memory system” specifically tailored for complex enterprise workflows. The startup is targeting chief revenue officers and sales teams, offering a platform that seamlessly connects with all their internal and external enterprise data sources. This creates a shared “agentic memory” that proves invaluable in identifying and qualifying new sales opportunities, spotting risks, and suggesting relevant questions for sales teams to ask their customers.As Steven Mih, the co-founder and CEO of Across AI, explains, “Sales teams often face challenges in obtaining and utilizing the right information at the right time. Critical knowledge gets bottlenecked among a few experts or gets lost in vast amounts of unstructured data, leading to inefficiencies and costly errors. Existing AI solutions often fall short as they lack deep integration and contextual understanding.”

Mih's previous venture, Ahana, was a Google Ventures-backed company that built commercial services on Presto. After selling Ahana to IBM last year, Mih decided to embark on a new journey with Across AI. He joined forces with renowned professors Dr. Niloufar Salehi and Dr. Afshin Nikzad from UC Berkeley and Stanford University respectively, who have been researching ways to improve the efficacy of AI systems in “high-stakes” settings.

Building the Memory: Connecting Enterprise Stack Components

Across AI is designed as a web app and chatbot that integrates with various parts of the enterprise stack, including CRM systems, communication and collaboration tools, and calendars. By doing so, it builds a comprehensive memory and develops contextual understanding. This allows it to provide just-in-time assistance wherever a user is working, without disrupting their workflow.“As the system shows up where users already are, such as in Slack or [Microsoft] Team’s app, it offers seamless support and enhances productivity,” Mih said. The memory continuously adapts, retaining only relevant information and discarding outdated data. This raises interesting questions about how it determines relevance, which Mih attributes to the development of a “deep understanding of the workflow context.”

The system actively tracks, timestamps, and monitors information updates, ensuring that data remains up-to-date and conflicts are resolved. Unlike traditional AI systems that treat all data equally, Across AI's agentic memory system prioritizes information based on its contextual importance. In cases of ambiguity, determinations are escalated to relevant personnel like sales managers or product managers.

Data Security: A Foundational Aspect

Enterprises have been cautious in adopting generative AI due to concerns about data privacy and security. Mih understands this concern and emphasizes that data security is a “foundational aspect” of Across AI's agentic memory platform.“Our memory system operates within the company's secure environment, maintaining strict access control over sensitive information and not exposing data to external models for training,” Mih said. The company plans to offer both SaaS and cloud-premises deployment options to meet the diverse security and compliance requirements of enterprises.

There are subtle synergies between Across AI and Mih's previous startup, Ahana. Ahana focused on enabling users to query vast amounts of data via Presto, handling the complexities of infrastructure setup and maintenance. Across AI is addressing the same problem from a different perspective, aiming to help users analyze large amounts of data quickly.“This experience has deepened my understanding of the challenges enterprises face in navigating complex data ecosystems,” Mih said.

Humane Demos AI Software for Cars, Phones & Smart Speakers
2024-12-05
When Humane introduced its Ai Pin, it painted a vivid picture of a world filled with dedicated AI devices, an addition to the smartphones we carry daily. However, the initial reception and sales haven't been as stellar as hoped. Returns even surpassed unit sales at one point, leading Humane to lower the price from $700 to $500. Despite the device still being on the market, the future of the company remains uncertain, yet it isn't short on funds with over $230 million in its coffers.

Introducing CosmOS: A Game-Changer

Now, Humane is presenting something fresh - CosmOS, an operating system that holds the potential to transform all our tech devices. In a captivating demo video, it showcased the OS running seamlessly on a car's entertainment system, a smart speaker, a TV, and an Android phone.

What CosmOS Represents

In many aspects, CosmOS gives a glimpse into what Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple's Siri could evolve into when combined with AI agent-like capabilities. It's a voice assistant that can handle complex queries and interact with other apps and services on our behalf. For instance, in the car, one can ask CosmOS to turn up the heat at home and also inquire about when people are coming over tonight. This shows its ability to multitask and understand context.

Based on the Ai Pin's OS

Humane emphasizes that CosmOS is built upon the operating system that powers its Ai Pin. As stated in the video, "This intelligent conductor seamlessly coordinates various AI models, data sets, services, and device capabilities to deliver a fluid, intuitive experience." It's a testament to the company's belief in the power of their existing technology.

Multimodal and Multi-Step Use Cases

On the TV, CosmOS presents a multimodal and multi-step use case. Say you ask how many goals a soccer player has scored this season. The AI assistant can identify the player based on the screen and provide an accurate answer. This showcases its advanced visual recognition and query-solving abilities.

Smartphone Integration

Regarding smartphone integration, the demo reminds us of Apple's pitch for a better Siri powered by Apple Intelligence at WWDC earlier this year. With CosmOS, it understands what's on your screen and can interact with your calendar in the background, enhancing the overall user experience.

Third-Party Developer Potential

Humane claims that third-party developers will be able to create integrations between CosmOS and their "agents, data, and services." This opens up a world of possibilities, allowing for a more personalized and interconnected tech ecosystem. However, the demo video also gives the impression of a sales pitch, as it seems to be testing the waters for potential acquisition and repurposing of the software in other products.
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FreeWheel Announces New Contextual Marketplace for TV Ads
2024-12-05
In the ever-evolving landscape of television advertising, FreeWheel has taken a significant step forward. The technology platform, renowned for its contributions to the industry, has announced the launch of its Contextual Marketplace. This innovative marketplace enables publishers to harness precise, contextual classification insights within their streaming inventory, opening up new avenues for advertisers to target their media buys with advanced, video-level precision.

Unlock Value with FreeWheel's Contextual Marketplace

Contextual Marketplace: A Game-Changer for TV Advertising

FreeWheel's Contextual Marketplace emerges as a game-changer in the television advertising realm. It allows publishers to effortlessly automate and scale new monetisation opportunities across their multiscreen inventory. Advertisers, too, gain a powerful tool to reach the right audiences without relying solely on identity signals. For example, an airline advertiser can precisely deliver commercials within holiday travel content while avoiding any news programming related to travel delays. This granular targeting ensures that ads are placed in the most relevant contexts, enhancing the viewer experience and driving better results.

With the integration of KERV.ai, a leader in video analysis and monetisation, and Proximic by Comscore, a provider of audience and content targeting solutions, the Contextual Marketplace becomes even more potent. KERV's advanced, scene-level metadata informs pod-level ad adjacency, while Proximic's integration and the IAB Tech Lab Content Taxonomy, along with publisher proprietary signaling, create a direct and transparent connection between buyers and publishers. This connection brings the benefits of contextual targeting to premium CTV inventory, offering brands a way to deliver more personal and relevant ad experiences.

The importance of tailored ads cannot be overstated. As streaming continues to reshape the way viewers consume their favourite programmes, the FreeWheel Viewer Experience Lab was launched in 2023. This lab aims to inform and improve ad environments across multiscreen devices. The latest report from the lab highlights key findings that demonstrate the power of contextual solutions. Viewers are twice as engaged and have twice as much unaided recall for relevant ads. Relevant ads also result in 5.2 times higher brand purchase intent. These findings underscore the significance of delivering ads in the right context.

Advantages of Contextual Targeting

Contextual targeting offers several advantages. It provides a new constant in the age of identity challenges, unlocking additional value for publishers and new premium opportunities for advertisers. By targeting ads based on context rather than relying solely on identities, advertisers can reach audiences that are more likely to be interested in their products or services. This leads to increased engagement, higher ad recall, and stronger brand sentiment.

For publishers, contextual targeting allows them to monetise their inventory more effectively. They can offer targeted ad placements that are more likely to be seen and interacted with by viewers. This leads to higher revenue and a more sustainable business model. Additionally, publishers can provide a better viewing experience for their audiences by delivering relevant ads that enhance the overall content.

KERV's patented AI technology plays a crucial role in contextual targeting. It captures metadata across every video frame at the pixel edge, enabling the identification, analysis, and matching of context and objects to immersive and shoppable ad products. This technology provides advertisers with detailed insights into the content and context in which their ads are being displayed, allowing them to create more targeted and effective campaigns.

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