Insights from Pioneering Researchers on the growth of Generative AI by Karla Guerra - Erevena
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Generative AI has stolen the spotlight. Erevena embarked on a journey to uncover the masterminds propelling breakthroughs in generative AI, and what they found was nothing short of awe-inspiring !
Today we are sharing our conversation with Karla Guerra from Erevena, a global executive search firm that helps high-growth, innovative companies recruit board and C-suite executives. Karla is based in San Francisco and specializes in Engineering, Deep Tech, and Product.
🧁 We love Karla’s insights on the very limited talent market who have built some of the leading Gen AI models - That's a deep dive into 221 researchers behind its foundations!
Thanks Karla for the interview, it was a real pleasure to connect 🙂.
On the menu today:
🏢 How Erevena is helping CEOs build successful teams?
🗻 Who's Crafting Tomorrow's AI?
💎 Who are the AI trailblazers?
👀 Some sources recommended by Karla
If anyone shared this newsletter and you’re willing to subscribe, it’s here:
🧁 MF: hey Karla, thanks for your time today! Before we move on AI talent market, can you tell me more what you, folks, are doing at Erevena?
👉 Karla:
Hey, thanks for inviting me today ! Indeed, you might wonder who Erevena is and why we're diving into this thrilling world of generative AI. We're not just any team; we're an executive search firm. Our mission is to uncover the brightest minds, the ones who redefine industries and push boundaries. In the realm of AI, that means getting up close and personal with the visionaries shaping the future. We're not just observers; we're part of the journey, connecting talent with opportunities that define eras. After all, the future doesn't wait – and neither do we.
🧁 MF: Which leading individuals, research institutions, and companies are at the forefront of shaping the future of artificial intelligence?
👉 Karla:
We looked into the minds behind Google Transformers, BERT, LaMDA, and PaLM, as well as the pioneers at Meta RoBERTa, OpenAI's GPT-3 and DALL-E, and Anthropic Claude. This represents 221 researchers who have helped set the foundation for Generative AI across architecture design, model development, and application. We delved into their backgrounds to get insights on the landscape.
What's particularly remarkable is the diverse array of expertise driving forward this AI revolution. Among these visionaries, 48% proudly hold the title of AI/ML scientists, while 40% wield the tools of engineering excellence. Of this group, 6% represent policy experts, which underscores that AI is more than algorithm developing and software scaffolding but also ethics and the shaping of a responsible future. Further adding to this ensemble are the 5% product managers and the remaining 1% responsible for operations, keeping development in motion. Embracing functional diversity and representation promotes innovation through varied viewpoints and informed choices.
As the AI landscape evolves, it's essential to talk about diversity – or the lack thereof. Brace yourself for this: a whopping 80% of the researchers we mapped are men. That's a glaring gender imbalance that can't be ignored. It's a stark reminder that as we forge ahead, we need to ensure everyone has a seat at the AI table. Diverse perspectives lead to more comprehensive, unbiased AI systems that truly reflect the world we live in.
Now, let's debunk a myth: Not every AI luminary boasts a PhD. In this pool of Generative AI pioneers, 47% hold those prestigious doctorates, while the remaining 53% sport Master's or Bachelor's degrees. This revelation breaks down the ivory tower and shows that innovation doesn't discriminate based on your educational pedigree. It's the ideas and the passion that count.
🧁 MF: From initial research in laboratories to market, who are the trailblazers, bringing innovative solutions and products to the public?
👉 Karla:
The synergy between academia and business is a recipe for groundbreaking change. When looking at the experience of these researchers pre- and post-research publication, a staggering 12% of these minds have founded companies. It is an advantage to know the nuances that come with these models, and many have taken their revolutionary ideas from the lab to the market, turning theory into real applications. If we just look at the eight authors of Google Transformer (”Attention Is All You Need,” 2017), nearly all have cofounded their own business: Ashish Vaswani and Niki Parmar founded Adept (and are now in stealth), Noam Shazeer started Character.AI, Aidan Gomez with Cohere, Illia Polosukhin founded NEAR Protocol, and Jakob Uszkoreit with Inceptive. This entrepreneurial spirit is the spark that ignites technological growth and transforms industries.
In the grand tapestry of AI, generative AI is a stroke of brilliance that paints a vibrant future. Erevena's voyage into the minds shaping this future showcases the power of diverse expertise, the need for gender parity, and the fusion of academia and entrepreneurship. France's emergence as an AI hub is a testament to its commitment to innovation. The fusion of groundbreaking minds and forward-thinking policies promises an AI-driven future that's as dynamic as it is transformative. So, let's buckle up and watch as the creative machines weave their magic on the canvas of tomorrow.
🧁 MF: thanks Karla for sharing, can you leave us the sources you recommend if we want to go further on the subject?
👉 Karla:
Given the nature of my role, I have the tremendous fortune to meet some of the leaders, who are actively developing and commercializing Generative AI technologies. That’s been my primary source of knowledge and validation in our effort to know the ecosystem, so highly encourage folks to build their own networks - reach out to people playing a role in this paradigm shift and have a brain pick over coffee!
I love to stay informed on the landscape through the research and mapping of firms like Sequoia, Y Combinator, and CB Insights. The VC and expert network communities are also hosting more and more events (panels, dinners, fireside chats, etc). I just saw that Lightspeed Ventures launched ‘Generative Europe,’ a series of informative talks with experts in the Gen AI space and they are kicking off in Paris! We are brewing some ideas here at Erevena and hope to start hosting similar events, as well!
Enjoy your week !
— muffin.ai team
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