Startup entrepreneur and investor Ben Gilbert, co-founder and managing director of Pioneer Square Labs and PSL Ventures, has his eyes on the next big tech wave. He acknowledges that the industry has had many false starts in the past: augmented and virtual reality, “personal audio computing,” and more.
But Gilbert, who is also the co-host of the popular podcast “Acquired,” didn’t hesitate when he was recently asked what he thinks will be the most important technology for 2023.
“ChatGPT based on GPT 4,” he said, referring to a future version of OpenAI’s conversational chatbot that runs on the next version of the AI company’s large language model.
In its current form, ChatGPT has gained a lot of attention for its excellent ability to answer questions (mostly accurately) in response to simple requests. This is a prime example of the growing popularity of generative AI as a means of creating content ranging from sonnets to abstract art.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella bragged at the company’s annual shareholder meeting this week that the AI models powering ChatGPT were trained on Microsoft’s Azure cloud supercomputer, marking the technology’s is moving towards mainstream consciousness. Microsoft is a major investor and an important strategic partner of OpenAI.
“I think for all the hype around generative AI, it’s underappreciated. We’re having an App Store moment,” Gilbert said, referring to the 2008 launch of Apple’s iPhone app marketplace for startups. Chance.
“I think what we’re seeing with ChatGPT is really exciting,” he said. “There’s a whole new field where people are excited to be able to create value for customers on this tool.”
With recent conversations inside Pioneer Square Labs focusing on how much attention they should be shifting to generative AI, Gilbert asks whether this should be their all focus. (No, or at least not yet.)
Gilbert and his Acquisition co-host David Rosenthal were two of the business and technology leaders who spoke to me at the GeekWire evening on Dec. 12 about the challenges of the past year and their hopes for the future. outlook. 4. We recorded and compiled their answers for this week’s GeekWire podcast episode.
Appropriately, I asked ChatGPT to help me brainstorm ideas before the event.
Oddly enough, for some of these problems, the AI thinks the same way I do. I hesitate to say this because it makes me worry that I’m not imaginative enough to ask the question.
That said, I’ve learned from experience that in these cases the best approach is to keep things simple and straightforward. Questions that are too complex or creative tend to throw people in a loop and kill the conversation, especially at parties.
With that, ChatGPT entered the market. This is a clear example of the ways in which artificial intelligence is increasingly proving to augment and complement the capabilities of knowledge workers, at least. I’ve planned a second question format on ChatGPT’s list about everyone’s biggest challenges in 2022, and how they’ve overcome them.
To be sure, the answer to the question of the most important technology for 2023 is not limited to artificial intelligence. Sara Lindquist of FUSE Ventures acknowledges the trend, but points in a different direction.
“I think a lot of the answers here tonight will probably revolve around generative AI, which we at FUSE are definitely bullish on,” Lindquist said, citing portfolio companies Pictory and WellSaid Labs. At the same time, she said she believes technology is “empowering the frontier,” including “frontline workers, industrial IoT, real-world assets, and more.”
Augmented and virtual reality continue to represent major trends and concerns for many of the clients the Seattle-based human resources agency works with, according to Jeff Sears, co-founder and managing partner of TalentReach.
Mark Nelson, who recently stepped down as CEO of Salesforce’s Tableau Software, cited the continued importance of data analysis and visualization, Tableau’s specialty, in the context of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Allume Group founder Andrea Leigh, a consultant and educator in the e-commerce and retail industries, points to the continuing need for technology to connect the brick-and-mortar and online shopping worlds.
The shift to AI-powered prescriptive analytics (not just descriptive and predictive) was one of the key points of the conversation with Leigh and the other large group who co-produced “The CPG Guys” podcast:
Technology Alliance CEO Laura Ruderman joked that she hopes technology will solve SeaTac’s long queues. In all seriousness, she said better technology is still needed for hybrid conferences, such as the Policy Issues: Innovation Foundation event held last week by the Technology Coalition.
Matt Oppenheimer, CEO of Remitly, which provides international money transfers and financial services to immigrants and their families, offers a global perspective. Continued growth in smartphone penetration and affordable broadband access is continuing to create a more connected world, he said.
Then, it occurred to me: How will ChatGPT answer the question of the most important technology of 2023? Its response was basic, perhaps obvious, but also impressive and humble in that it referred to AI in general without citing itself as an example.
But the last question I asked everyone was not inspired by ChatGPT or any other bot, and it generated some of the most insightful and inspiring responses from the people I spoke to:
What is your greatest wish for the new year?
“The ability for people who disagree to have a civilized dialogue,” Rudman said.
Oppenheimer said he wanted to “get a deeper understanding of those who are different from us” and move away from the silos and isolation that have been accelerated by the pandemic.
Others echoed these sentiments. Listen to the full podcast to learn more.
Just to be sure, I asked ChatGPT the same question.
Score one for humanity…for now.
What do you think will be the most important technology in 2023? Send an email or voice memo to podcast@geekwire.com to be considered for inclusion in future GeekWire episodes and posts.
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