Computing has long been a vital part of Tri-Valley economic activity. Whether they develop custom code, computer applications, or cloud-based services, Tri-Valley businesses are part of the hub of innovation that has grown from the highly educated talent and supportive resources of the region; resources that include the two National Laboratories, i-GATE Innovation Hub, Start-up Tri-Valley, and more.

As companies increasingly embrace artificial intelligence (AI) tools, AI development and adoption can be expected to grow stronger in the future. One sign of this growth is the ongoing convening of thought leadership featured at the upcoming 2nd Annual Tri-Valley AI Summit, which will be held in Dublin on Wednesday, August 21, from 4 to 7 pm at Patelco Credit Union Corporate Headquarters. Another sign are the many examples of Hacienda business tenants that have adopted the use of AI to develop new products and improve their services.

AI Solves Problems

Global giant Unilever, for example, used cutting-edge robotics and AI to develop Persil Wonder Wash, a laundry detergent that company officials say was designed specifically for washing machine short cycles in response to modern laundry needs. The company estimates that 70 percent of home laundry does not have visible stains. Instead, it is soiled with invisible sweat, dust, and odor-causing body oils that consumers typically wash for 30 minutes or less.

“Leveraging a century’s worth of expertise in laundry detergent formulation, together with robotics and AI, Unilever has completely rebuilt a laundry detergent to address new consumer needs, including the desire to save on the cost of energy,” officials say.

Regular liquid detergents aren’t designed for best performance in short cycles and can leave sticky residues on clothing, according to Unilever officials. The use of AI tools helped make Persil Wonder Wash, which was launched in April, far better than leading detergent brands in cycles as short as 15 minutes, while still being suitable for longer cycles. The company expects that Persil Wonder Wash, which has 35 patents pending, will create a new category of laundry products.

Hacienda tenant Veeva Systems announced the Veeva AI Partner Program in April to provide partners with the advanced technology and support needed to integrate Generative AI (GenAI) solutions seamlessly with Veeva Vault applications. The Veeva AI Partner Program is part of Veeva's focused strategy to enable AI for the life sciences industry. The Vault Direct Data API and AI Partner Program enable customers and partners to more easily build AI applications that integrate seamlessly with Vault applications.

"Our customers are exploring GenAI solutions across many use cases as the technology evolves," according to Tom Schwenger, Veeva President and Chief Customer Officer. "The Veeva AI Partner Program provides access to critical technology to help partners develop GenAI solutions that integrate seamlessly with Veeva applications."

The life science and healthcare industries have been pioneers in recognizing the value of AI tools. In June, Stanford Medicine hosted a two-hour discussion in Dublin called Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Medicine & Health Care Is Here. The event focused on the transformative effects of AI on medicine and health care. Rick Shumway, President and CEO of Hacienda tenant Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, spoke on various aspects of AI, including how the healthcare entity is using AI responsibly for the benefit of the Tri-Valley community.

“At Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, we have implemented AI technology to improve patient outcomes including increased efficiency in diagnostics and treatment planning,” Shumway says. “We are eager and excited for how the next applications of AI will empower our physicians and providers and support our staff so we can continue to deliver world-class care to our local communities.”

Earlier in August, tenant Kaiser Permanente announced it was offering AI-enabled clinical technology to improve the experience of its members. The new assisted clinical documentation tool is now available to doctors and other clinicians at Kaiser Permanente's 40 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices in eight states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente is the nation's largest nonprofit, integrated health care provider.

“The tool, powered by ambient listening technology from Abridge, supports doctors and other clinicians by securely capturing clinical notes during visits with patients and helps them remain focused on talking with patients rather than on documentation or administrative tasks,” Kaiser officials note.

Looking Ahead

The 2nd Annual Tri-Valley AI Summit: Making AI Serve Us will focus on a discussion of establishing guardrails for the use of AI, including ones to provide transparency and privacy, as well as prevent bias in services or products produced with the aid of artificial intelligence, according to Yolanda Fintschenko, Executive Director of i-GATE Innovation Hub and Daybreak Labs. During the networking portion of the event, experts on different aspects of the topic will be available to lead discussions about AI legislation and related matters. After that, a panel discussion on the topic of Making AI Serve Us will be moderated by Saurabh Kumar, CEO of Rezolve.ai.

“People are focused on large language model generative AI partly because it's gotten a lot of hype, but also because it's so much more accessible to people,” says Fintschenko, who is one of the Summit organizers. “What they are missing is that we've been living with AI and machine learning embedded in tools and products for a while now.”

That said, the emergence of generative AI tools has created alarm for some. These concerns have prompted several proposed bills in the California legislature that would regulate AI use. Summit panelists will address the larger topics this legislation touches on. The panelists include Chun Jian, CEO and co-founder of Monterey AI; Chiranjeevi “IC” Ikkurthy, Interim IT Administrative Director for Stanford Health Care; and Brian Spears, Director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories AI Incubator. “We're really excited to be able to have this conversation with the community,” Fintschenko adds. “Hopefully we will bring together a diverse audience of C-suite executives, technology developers, end users, innovators, and founders. This is a really important conversation, and I'm thrilled that we have the expertise to have it here in the Tri-Valley.”

To obtain free tickets to the 2nd Annual Tri-Valley AI Summit, please visit www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2nd-annual-tri-valley-ai-summit-making-ai-serve-us-tickets-885916198197 and use the code HACIENDAVIP. Registration is required for attendance.

For more information about i-GATE Innovation Hub and Daybreak Labs, please visit www.igateihub.org.

For more information about Unilever, please visit www.unilever.com.

For more information about Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, please visit www.stanfordhealthcare.org/tri-valley.

For more information about Kaiser Permanente, please visit www.healthy.kaiserpermanente.org.

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