Before Baywatch, David Hasselhoff starred in Knight Rider, a television series that featured KITT, an AI-enabled 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that featured the iconic pulsing red scanner bar. But while Hasselhoff was the star of the show, it was Bonnie Barstow, played by Patricia McPherson, who was the brains behind KITT. As the lead design engineer for KITT’s systems, Bonnie’s character was a pioneering representation of women in STEM fields.
While the names grabbing many of the headlines related to AI belong to men, plenty of incredibly talented women are making their mark in the field as well. While Bonnie was using AI to help Michael Knight battle criminals, Alyona Medelyan has been using AI to understand customer feedback. Her love of linguistics combined with her early interest in computers led her to a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and the founding of Thematic.
We discuss:
- Understanding AI and Machine Learning
- Women in Tech and AI
- Starting Thematic
- Gathering and Analyzing Customer Feedback
- Benefits of Y Combinator
- Maintaining Focus and Achieving Growth
Connect with Alyona on LinkedIn
Music courtesy of Big Red Horse
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