AI Trailblazers Growth Summit Speakers & Navigating AI

November 23, 2024

Welcome to this week’s AI Trailblazers Newsletter! Thank you for making us your go-to source for relevant AI business news. In this edition, we share details of the upcoming AI Trailblazers Growth Summit, how Musk was all over the AI news-iverse with his involvement with the new Trump’s administration ideology surrounding deregulation and his Gladiator AI feud with Sam Altman. Enjoy more below.

AI Trailblazers Growth Summit - December 3rd

We are excited to share that the AI Trailblazers Growth Summit will be held on Dec 3rd in New York City. It marks our seventh gathering of the year—an incredible milestone for this dynamic series.

We are honored to welcome guests from globally renowned brands, including Amazon, Citibank, Estée Lauder, Google, Mastercard, NYSE, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Publicis, Ralph Lauren, Samsung, Shiseido, Stagwell Global, TikTok, and Unilever, among many others. We're also happy to share that Adweek is serving as our media partner for this summit.

Register soon before seats fill up! - https://lu.ma/ecnlt6ix 

Select speakers at the summit include:

  • Alex Craddock, Chief Marketing Officer & Content Officer, Citibank

  • Amit Shah, CEO, Instalily & Co-Founder AI Trailblazers

  • Andrea Zaretsky, CMO, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

  • Chris Wiggins, Chief Data Scientist, The New York Times

  • Greg Kahn, General Partner GK Digital Ventures & Co-Founder AI Trailblazers

  • Greg Shove, CEO, Section School & Founder, Machine & Partners

  • Hasard Lee, Decorated fighter pilot & International bestselling author

  • Helen Lin, Chief Digital Officer, Publicis Groupe

  • Joe Benarroch, Head of Content, Media Partnerships, & Distribution, NYSE

  • Jonathon Roberts, Chief Innovation Officer, Dotdash Meredith

  • Joe Marchese, General Partner, Human Ventures

  • Mark Howard, Chief Operating Officer, Time Inc.

  • Michael Lacorazza, Chief Marketing Officer, U.S Bank

  • Michaela Ternasky-Holland, Emmy Award-Winning Nominated Director

  • Shiv Singh, Investor, Advisor, Board Member & Co-Founder AI Trailblazers

  • Wizdom Powell, PhD, Chief Purpose Officer, Headspace

  • Yang Adija, SVP, Digital League Business Operations at Turner Sports

The AI Trailblazers Growth Summit agenda features keynotes, panels, and educational workshops exploring AI's transformative influence on marketing, content creation, and media. Topics include AI-driven personalization, Agentic AI, AI ROI in business, generative AI content strategies, and AI’s impact on video production.

Register soon before seats fill up! - https://lu.ma/ecnlt6ix 

Trump & Musk: Rewiring America’s AI Future

Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency is set to usher in significant changes to U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) policy, a critical area of innovation and risk. Partnering with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, Trump aims to reduce regulations established by the Biden administration, sparking debates about the balance between fostering innovation and addressing AI's societal dangers. This summary explores the key aspects of Trump’s AI agenda, the risks posed by unregulated AI, and the uncertain future of U.S. AI regulation.

  • Trump’s AI Policy Agenda: President-elect Donald Trump plans to reshape U.S. AI policy by rolling back regulations established by Joe Biden’s administration, which he and the Republican Party see as barriers to innovation. His administration intends to repeal an executive order addressing AI risks like discrimination and security vulnerabilities. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who shares concerns about over-regulation, will play a key role in this effort as part of a new government efficiency department.

  • AI Risks and Biases: Unregulated AI can perpetuate societal biases, with systems trained on historical data often making discriminatory decisions. AI tools have influenced hiring, lending, and predictive policing, frequently reinforcing systemic inequality. Experts warn that without safeguards, such biases will continue shaping future outcomes, underscoring the need for robust regulation.

  • Disinformation and Cyber Threats: AI-generated media, such as fake images or audio, can spread disinformation, undermine elections, and harass individuals. Examples include deepfake robocalls impersonating public figures and AI-assisted cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure. Security reports highlight that unchecked AI could even create autonomous weapons or cause catastrophic harm, emphasizing its existential risks.

  • Regulatory Uncertainty: The U.S. currently has fragmented AI regulations, with state-level laws addressing specific concerns like hiring bias audits. Biden’s executive order established the AI Safety Institute to manage emerging risks, but its future under Trump remains uncertain. While Musk has supported AI safeguards in the past, conflicting priorities within Trump’s administration could determine whether innovation or regulation takes precedence.

AI Trailblazer Takeaways: It definitely feels like the winds of AI regulation are changing under the new Trump administration….ready or not!

AI's Plateau Sparks Strategy Shift

The rapid progress of artificial intelligence is beginning to plateau, offering a rare moment for reflection and recalibration. As businesses and researchers adjust to slower advancements, this pause provides opportunities to rethink how AI is developed, applied, and regulated. The current phase invites a shift from relentless innovation to measured evolution, paving the way for safer, more sustainable growth.

  • AI's Development Slows, Plateau Looms: After years of rapid improvement fueled by scaling laws, AI advancements are now leveling off. Industry leaders like OpenAI and Google acknowledge incremental progress, while experts describe a shift from "scaling" to a phase of "wonder and discovery." This slowdown highlights long-predicted diminishing returns and sparks concern among businesses and investors about the technology's next steps.

  • Breathing Room for Businesses: The plateau in AI development offers companies a chance to optimize their use of current generative AI models. This phase mirrors the "S-curve" of technological innovation, where initial rapid growth slows, evolves, and ultimately stabilizes. Businesses now have time to rethink workflows and investments, much like they did during the computer revolution of the 1980s.

  • Rethinking AI's Metrics and Priorities: With scaling laws losing prominence, AI research is pivoting to focus on enhancing models during their inference phase. This involves improving reasoning capabilities and addressing shortcomings like fairness, security, and compliance with upcoming regulations. Such shifts could redefine how success is measured in AI, moving away from pure capability toward safer, more reliable systems.

  • Opportunities for Regulation and Adaptation: The pause in AI's explosive growth offers governments and regulators time to establish clearer rules, like the EU's AI Act set for 2026. Businesses can also refine their strategies to align with existing AI capabilities rather than rushing to adopt unproven technologies. This slowdown ensures the market isn’t overwhelmed by unforeseen risks while fostering long-term, sustainable innovation.

AI Trailblazer Takeaways: Is AI advancement slowing down? There are many differing opinions, but even if it is slowing….the tech is still moving at a breakneck pace. So, now is not the time to take a breather, but rather bear down and catch up.

From Allies to Rivals: Inside Musk and Altman's AI Showdown

Elon Musk’s relationship with OpenAI, which he co-founded with Sam Altman in 2015, has been marked by significant tensions and disagreements over the company’s direction. As OpenAI evolved from a nonprofit focused on the ethical development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) to a commercial entity, the divide between Musk and Altman deepened. A new lawsuit from Musk exposes the power struggles, ethical concerns, and competing visions that have defined their rocky partnership, shedding light on the internal dynamics that shaped the company’s trajectory.

  • OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman to counteract the risks of AGI being controlled by tech giants like Google. Their partnership faced early challenges as Musk and Altman clashed over leadership and the nonprofit’s transition to a for-profit model. This led to Musk’s departure from the board in 2018, citing dissatisfaction with OpenAI’s progress and priorities.

  • Musk played a critical role in OpenAI’s early funding, investing up to $100 million and pushing for a $1 billion commitment to rival Google and Facebook. Despite this, the startup struggled to attract top talent and faced fierce competition from DeepMind. Musk’s concerns about leadership and priorities exacerbated internal conflicts over maintaining the organization’s ethical mission.

  • In 2016, OpenAI secured a vital partnership with Microsoft to access compute resources, but the deal created tensions. Musk opposed promotional requirements tied to the agreement, which he saw as compromising OpenAI’s mission. Over time, Musk grew critical of OpenAI’s shift away from its open-source principles, accusing it of becoming a “closed-source subsidiary” of Microsoft.

  • Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft alleges anticompetitive practices and power consolidation under Altman. The case underscores Musk’s belief that OpenAI abandoned its mission in favor of commercialization. Ultimately, the rivalry between Musk and Altman highlights competing visions for dominance in shaping the future of AI.

AI Trailblazer Takeaways: The Musk-Altman feud is just getting warmed up. The airing of the grievances will continue to be played out in the court of public opinion for years to come and this article is a good primer for everyone as the battle of the egos continues.

Quote of the Week

“Artificial intelligence is not a substitute for human intelligence; it is a tool to amplify human creativity and ingenuity.”

- Fei-Fei Li, co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence

Partner with AI Trailblazers

Our community of business leaders is growing fast and we are planning more forums. To discuss partnership opportunities that connect our partners with AI decision makers including at our summits and this newsletter, email us. Our AI Trailblazers Growth Summit this December is already shaping up to be something extra special.

What is AI Trailblazers?

AI Trailblazers is a vibrant platform dedicated to uniting corporate marketers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI). Our mission is to fuel growth, innovation, and career development among our members, who all want to be at the forefront of incorporating artificial intelligence into their businesses and their lives for strategic advantage. More information here.