- Amir Khan is a deep tech investor who’s known about ChatGPT for 10 years.
- He lists three startups he wishes he had invested in years ago.
- Khan says that by 2030 AI and machine learning tech development will be commonplace.
As a venture capitalist in the deep tech sector and the managing partner at MARL Accelerator, I’ve reviewed over 5,000 early-stage companies and have been exposed to the latest technological advancements over the past few years.
With the way technology is advancing, things that exist now were once science fiction in the 80s and 90s. These technologies will continue to shape our world and enhance our lives in ways that we can’t yet fathom.
Amir Khan
By 2030, I think there will be a significant increase in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies in the commercial sector.
One of the most notable advancements is the rise of Natural Language Processing technologies such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s BARD, which I have been following for almost 10 years.
There are a few startups at the forefront of technology in their respective sectors that I believe have the potential to be the decacorns — a company valued over $100 billion — of this decade. I’m not invested in any of these. I missed the boat, but if I had the cash years ago, I would’ve invested.
1. Owkin
A health tech startup called Owkin, based in Paris, France, is working to build an AI model in partnership with top academic researchers and data scientists. By studying millions of patients’ data, they hope to find patterns in disease diagnosis and develop new treatments tailored to each patient’s genetic makeup.
Because we rely on human doctors, there’s a risk of misdiagnosis and mistreatment. This issue is near and dear to me because I have been misdiagnosed many times — and I’m not alone. According to The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization focused on healthcare safety, diagnostic errors contribute to 40,000 – 80,000 deaths per year in the US, and over 250,000 Americans experience a diagnostic error in hospitals.
Owkin started working on healthcare diagnostics in the mid-2000s, and they’re ahead of the pack even though there is substantial research in this area.
The development of new technology, like Owkin’s platform for medical research, can have downsides as well as benefits. For one, Owkin’s platform may be affected by data bias, meaning the models created may be biased or incomplete, despite their efforts to use diverse data.
Additionally, only a limited number of researchers and institutions have access to Owkin’s platform, which could be costly, and regulatory and ethical challenges need to be addressed to ensure data privacy, security, and compliance.
Owkin will need to operate transparently and ethically to address concerns related to patient consent and transparency while navigating complex regulations.
2. Motional
Motional is a Boston-based autonomous tech startup that is gaining traction by successfully running the world’s first robotaxi pilot program. Motional has completed over 100,000 self-driving rides without any accidents as of 2021.
This success has excited Uber, leading to the announcement of a 10-year commercial partnership between the two companies to launch their public full self-driving robotaxi service in Las Vegas, NV. This service follows the successful launch of autonomous deliveries with Uber Eats in Greater Los Angeles.
I grew up in India, and self-driving seemed like a dream. If you’ve seen the old Batman movies, you would know self-driving vehicles were promised to us in the early 2000s. Even today, we’re not quite there yet — the technology isn’t fully developed. And I think the reason for that is that the car itself doesn’t have enough processing power. But I think the evolution of 5G technology may change that.
Motional is already performing successfully and securing partnerships. They have changed the game in commercialization.
As amazing as Motional sounds, there are some concerns that need to be addressed before the technology can be widely adopted. Safety is one of the biggest concerns, although Motional’s technology has been shown to be safe in testing. Driverless vehicles are also vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Cost is another concern, as Motional’s vehicles are currently expensive to produce and not yet affordable for most people. Lastly, there are ethical concerns, such as who is responsible if a driverless vehicle causes an accident.
While Motional has a lot of potential, these shortcomings need to be addressed before the technology can be widely adopted.
3. Nexar
Nexar, a New York-based startup, is also a company working to realize our self-driving car dreams.
It is a leader in the dash cam market and has the vision of creating the world’s first “safe driving network.” They plan to build a hive mind by connecting all the dash cams already on the road to provide a single source of truth for events that occur on the road.
So the car can see what the car in front of me is seeing, what the car behind me is seeing in a “hive mind.” The car network sensors simultaneously plug into a cloud sending data and receiving data. That is why Nexar will be able to succeed in cities. like New York and San Francisco, while vehicles like the Tesla tend to freeze in these kinds of areas.
The points of concern regarding Nexar’s autonomous driving technology are that it is still under development and not yet fully autonomous.
While Nexar’s dash cams can identify dangerous situations, they cannot drive the car autonomously. The technology is expensive and may have bugs that need to be fixed.
It is also important to check local regulations before using it, as its legality is not yet established in all jurisdictions.
AI will change our lives in other areas too
But I’m only scratching the surface of AI and Machine learning capabilities and how they will transform our lives.
Their impact will go far beyond the healthcare and transportation sectors. For example, we are facing a huge climate crisis, and AI could be our last hope to reverse the effects of climate change.
Amir Khan is the founder and managing director of MARL 5G Accelerator. MARL 5G focuses on creating and connecting early-stage investors, startup founders, and corporate venture teams in the space of mobility, autonomy, robotics and logistics.
