10/23/2023

From Doom to Boom

AI is slowly re-energizing San Francisco

Parts of San Francisco are still shells of their original glory three years after the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. After the loss of foot traffic, restaurants and cafes closed, some retailers left and many companies downsized or relinquished their office leases because of hybrid or remote-work policies.

But on sporadic weeknights, hundreds of AI enthusiasts crowd into a downtown office, lured by nothing more than pizza, beer and the main draw: a conversation about artificial intelligence.

"You can't pay for that kind of inbound traffic," said Dev Rishi, the host of the meetups and a founder and the chief executive of the AI start-up Predibase. "There is palpable excitement and energy in this space."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.