In this episode of Leading with Data, we chat with Gaurav Agarwal, Founder and CEO of RagaAI, about the exciting world of generative ai. As this technology continues to transform industries, RagaAI is focused on making sure it does so reliably. Gaurav shares his journey, the challenges he’s faced, and how RagaAI is helping companies build ai systems that are not only innovative but also reliable. Dive deeper into his thoughts on the future of ai, the importance of early-stage testing, and what it takes to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving field.
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Key insights from our conversation with Gaurav Agarwal
- Building a motivated team that aligns with the company's vision is essential for success.
- Ensuring ai systems are trustworthy is crucial, and RagaAI plays a key role in achieving this.
- Engaging in reliability testing from the concept phase is vital to effective ai application development.
- The landscape of generative ai agents is evolving rapidly, bringing with it the challenge of testing these complex systems.
- There is a growing trend towards developing smaller, more efficient ai models designed for specific applications.
- As technology advances and reliability issues are addressed, generative ai adoption is expected to become more widespread.
- RagaAI aims to set the industry standard for trustworthy generative ai applications in the future.
Let’s check out the details of our conversation with Gaurav Agarwal!
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-did-your-journey-into-ai-and-generative-ai-begin”>How did your journey into ai and generative ai begin?
Thank you for inviting me to the program. My journey in the field of ai began over 15 years ago when I studied my master's degree in computer vision. At that time, ai was not as widely recognized as it is today. My bachelor's project also involved computer vision, so my interest in the field has deep roots. The opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies during my academic years was my first contact with ai, and since then, the field has grown exponentially.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-you-share-some-key-moments-or-learnings-from-your-experiences-with-leading-tech-companies”>Can you share some key moments or learnings from your experiences with leading technology companies?
Of course. Each experience has been unique and has provided me with exciting learnings. For example, at Ola Electric, the pace at which we built ai products was eye-opening. I learned the importance of having a motivated team that shares your vision. At Nvidia, I witnessed the birth of the autonomous driving era and the significant growth of the technology between 2015 and 2020. These experiences shaped my understanding of the importance of team dynamics and the power of thinking big.
What inspired you to start RagaAI?
A pivotal moment for me was a near-death experience due to ai failure while testing a semi-autonomous vehicle. It was a rainy night and the car failed to detect debris on the road. I had to manually intervene to prevent an accident. That incident underlined the critical need for ai systems to be reliable. At RagaAI, we are dedicated to understanding why ai fails and how to prevent it, ensuring ai systems perform their intended functions safely.
How did you approach the early days of creating RagaAI?
Initially, I focused on understanding customer requirements and building the right team. I reached out to potential customers to identify their problems and started building a team with complementary skills. These two aspects were crucial in laying the foundation for RagaAI.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-some-common-ai-errors-that-organizations-encounter-and-how-does-ragaai-address-them”>What are some common ai mistakes that organizations face and how does RagaAI address them?
RagaAI is the leading product for ensuring the trustworthiness of generative ai. We have identified over 100 dimensions of potential errors, such as bias, inappropriate tone, and information leakage. Our system not only detects these errors, but also diagnoses them and prescribes solutions to fix them, which is essential for building and scaling trustworthy ai applications.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-at-what-stage-should-companies-engage-with-ragaai-for-their-generative-ai-applications”>At what stage should companies turn to RagaAI for their generative ai applications?
We recommend that companies work with us from the concept phase. Building a reliable generative ai application requires proper testing and evaluation at every step, and we have collaborated with organizations to ensure this from the earliest stages.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-you-balance-the-trade-off-between-error-reduction-and-cost-in-generative-ai-applications”>How do you balance the trade-off between error reduction and cost in generative ai applications?
The trade-off involves considering technology costs, computing costs, and latency. The decision on what level of overhead is acceptable varies by industry and application. For mission-critical applications, such as in healthcare or finance, reliability is paramount. For less sensitive applications, some level of inaccuracy may be tolerable. We help clients compare and understand these trade-offs to make informed decisions.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-you-see-the-role-of-generative-ai-agents-evolving-and-what-are-the-implications-for-testing”>How do you think the role of generative ai agents will evolve and what are the implications for testing?
Generative ai agents are complex and have immense potential to change the way we live. Testing these agents is exponentially more complex, as each part and the system as a whole must be tested. We are working on sophisticated methods to ensure the reliability of these agents and will soon announce something significant in this area.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-you-stay-up-to-date-with-the-rapidly-evolving-field-of-ai“>How to stay up to date with the rapidly evolving field of ai?
Keeping myself up to date is a full-time job in itself. I spend a significant amount of time reading newsletters, listening to podcasts, and interacting with the community on platforms like LinkedIn and twitter. Our team also actively shares knowledge, ensuring we are all informed about the latest developments.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-advice-would-you-give-to-those-starting-their-careers-in-ai“>What advice would you give to those starting their career in ai?
We live in a golden age of information. My advice is to learn as much as you can and build something tangible. Join open source communities, contribute and implement what you learn. That's the best way to understand new technologies.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-your-predictions-for-the-generative-ai-industry-in-the-next-few-years”>What are your predictions for the generative ai industry in the coming years?
We will see widespread adoption of generative ai as reliability issues are addressed. There will be significant improvements in the technology and we will see a trend towards building smaller, more efficient models tailored to specific applications. This will lead to more personalized and distributed intelligence.
What does the future hold for RagaAI?
Our goal is to become the default standard for trusted generative ai. We are developing foundational technologies to ensure this, focusing on the rapidly evolving field. We aim to be at the forefront, providing the tools needed for businesses to confidently deploy generative ai.
Summarizing
As generative ai continues to redefine possibilities, RagaAI remains committed to pioneering standards of trustworthiness. From early-stage involvement to predicting industry trends, Gaurav Agarwal’s journey exemplifies the dedication needed to shape the future of ai. With a vision to foster innovation while ensuring safety and accuracy, RagaAI is paving the way for widespread adoption of ai technologies. The path forward promises smaller, more efficient models tailored to specific needs, underpinning a future where ai is seamlessly integrated into everyday life, driven by trustworthiness and transformative potential.
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