Embracing The Unknown: AI, Startups & a Way of Life

This is an exciting time in the startup space. With the aid of AI, more and more possibilities become realities every day. All of us here know how much we need to step out of our personal comfort zones when setting up a startup, but we must step even further in these “wild west” times. Many startups work from a foundation of “what problem are you solving?”, but there’s more in this ever-widening space. To find truly interesting spaces of invention we can explore the realm of the unknown, and find solutions to problems that don’t even exist yet.

In this fireside chat, Martin and Charlene will introduce the methods we’ve learned through study, trial, and error (so much error!) over our last five years of working with AI and previous decades of working with tech, entertainment, and academia. We’ll explore the connected patterns between the AI space and startups, and trace the vital path of finding out the logic of the space you are in, finding the reproducible elements, and then… taking the leap!

Dr Martin Pichlmair (@martinpi) is Associate Professor at the Creative AI Group in ITU, and a veteran entrepreneur with several games studios under his belt including the multi-award-winning Broken Rules. Charlene Putney (@alphachar) is an award-winning writer and teacher from Ireland. After working at Google and Facebook in management positions, she’s been writing for video games since 2013, including writing for Divinity: Original Sin 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Saltsea Chronicles. Together, they make creativity tools, including LAIKA (withlaika.com), which they started making while sitting together at their kitchen table during the pandemic.