☕ On track

How GM is using AI on the racetrack.

October 02, 2024 Presented By It's Wednesday. What does AI have to do with racing cars? Tech Brew's Jordyn Grzelewski chatted with the manager of data and analytics for GM Motorsports to find out. In today's edition: How GM is using AI to boost performance on the racetrack Could the Fed's interest rate cut help the EV market? The security case for small language models —Jordyn Grzelewski, Billy Hurley, Annie Saunders FUTURE OF TRAVEL Pit stop Francis Scialabba Every second counts on the racetrack. That's one reason General Motors is integrating artificial intelligence into just about every aspect of its motorsports division. Tech Brew recently got a peek behind the scenes of where the machine learning magic happens: GM's Charlotte Technical Center in North Carolina. Jonathan Bolenbaugh, manager of data and analytics for GM Motorsports, gave us a virtual tour and explained how AI is changing the way the organization races. It "took a leap of faith when we started the team," he said. "Like, 'Hey, we're gonna use AI to change racing.' And then people are like, 'Why would we do that?' Well, because it's cool and it's fun and I like winning races." Performance review: Bolenbaugh—whose experience spans both racing and production vehicles—formed the data and analytics team two years ago. The idea is to use technology to assist the teams that GM Motorsports supports across racing series like NASCAR, IndyCar, and IMSA. Data scientists and engineers use machine learning to create models based on vehicle performance data, track conditions, and competitors' behaviors to inform race strategy. AI also is used in real-time race analysis to help the team make decisions and improve outcomes. "It's literally hundreds of people per car to get that out on the track," Bolenbaugh said. "This team was founded with the intent of using technology—specifically AI and [machine learning] and some statistical methods—to give those people the tools that they need to have the peak outcome every weekend." Keep reading here.—JG Presented By EQT Nothin' but net zero You may know net zero as the state when emissions are balanced by the amount removed from the atmosphere. It's also the largest infrastructure opportunity you might come across today. Wanna learn more? Check out EQT, an organization that has already made thematic infrastructure investments into areas like: generating, storing, and distributing energy decarbonization and electrification of industrial processes and transport resource efficiency and circularity EQT has set Science Based Targets for 44 portfolio companies, and its infrastructure business has invested over $13 billion in the energy transition to date. Dive deeper with EQT. FUTURE OF TRAVEL So interesting 3alexd/Getty Images In recent years, car shoppers have been hit by what one industry analyst likened to a "one-two punch": higher prices and interest rates. "It really impacted affordability for consumers out there," Kevin Roberts, director of industry insights and analytics at CarGurus, told Tech Brew. "Vehicle prices going up and higher interest rates really hit that monthly payment." At long last, some relief may be on the way, thanks to the Federal Reserve's half percentage-point (or 50 basis-point) interest rate cut, bringing the central bank's benchmark rate to between 4.75% and 5%. The move, which is expected to be followed by more rate cuts in the coming months, came after months of deliberations by central bankers over whether inflation had sufficiently cooled. This reduction in borrowing costs is likely to trickle down to auto loans, albeit not overnight—and some experts say it might be good news for the EV market amid a challenging time in the auto industry's electric transition. "If you've got a higher price on an EV, higher interest rates just makes that monthly payment even more painful on that front," Roberts said. "So, potential interest rate cuts would be welcome from that point." Keep reading here.—JG AI Mini models Pm Images/Getty Images Who needs 50 billion parameters in a large language model (LLM), when 3 billion or so will do just fine? Market intelligence firm Gartner sees security benefits in "small language models"—computational machine learners with fewer than 10 billion parameters, or training variables. "You don't need your language model to write a poem about cats and dogs eating spaghetti under a bridge. You need it to answer an HR-related question," Birgi Tamersoy, Gartner's senior director analyst for AI technologies, said in a live presentation on September 12. Known, domain-specific data—that HR-related info, for example—can be embedded into a small language model to solve a specific task, Tamersoy said. A July 2024 survey from another market intel firm, IDC, found that 20% of IT pro respondents said they "don't expect to use small models"; 25% have deployed them; and 26% characterize their current use of small models as "learning." (A further 17% said "evaluating," and 13% said "testing.") The specialized LLM option offers potential security benefits when the smaller computational workloads can remain nearby, according to Tamersoy. Keep reading on IT Brew.—BH Together With Internxt Protect your privacy for 82% off. Imagine someone having access to all your documents, your photos, and even your browsing history. It may sound like something out of 1984, but using Google's products can be a nightmare for your privacy. Internxt provides trustworthy online storage. Internxt Drive is open source to provide complete transparency regarding how your data is protected. Use code PROTECT82 to claim your discount. BITS AND BYTES Stat: Zero. That's how much of the UK's electricity will come from coal-powered plants. Ratcliffe-on-Soar, the country's last operational coal-burning plant, shuttered on Monday, Ars Technica reported. Quote: "Let me tell you, AI's name is Aisha, and Aisha can deliver strongly when she is fed good, healthy information…AI does have the ability, the capacity, and the unknown density to integrate into our lives…and we do have an ethical responsibility to ensure that we're feeding the best and brightest information into it."—Janice Bryant Howroyd, the CEO of ActOne Group, during Indeed's FutureWorks conference last month Read: A thriving underground economy is clogging the internet with AI garbage—and it's only going to get worse (New York) Cutting-edge meeting rooms: Host your next meeting at Studio by Tishman Speyer in Rockefeller Center. Modern meeting rooms come complete with enterprise-grade technology, comfortable seating, and premium service. Elevate your meetings to the next level. Learn more.* *A message from our sponsor. JOBS When's the last time you landed a job by applying cold? We've partnered with CollabWORK, the first community-powered hiring platform, to bring you curated jobs from companies looking to connect with Tech Brew readers—apply below! Sr. Staff/Principal Engineer, Automotive Platform Software at MediaTek (in person) Principal Developer, Web & Mobile Application Engineering at Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits (in person) Senior Software Engineer at an undisclosed organization (in person) SHARE THE BREW Share Tech Brew with your coworkers, acquire free Brew swag, and then make new friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We're saying we'll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others: emergingtechbrew.com/r/?kid=b3968dba Written by Jordyn Grzelewski, Billy Hurley, and Annie Saunders Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.   Guide → What is AI?   Guide → What is 5G? Take The Brew to work Marketers: Marketing Brew Corporate: CFO Brew   HR Brew Tech: IT Brew   Retailers: Retail Brew Healthcare: Healthcare Brew Get smarter in just 5 minutes Business News: Morning Brew Money & Career: Money With Katie   Bossy   Brew Markets   The Playbook Interested in podcasts? Check out ours here ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP // FAQ Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here. View our privacy policy here. Copyright © 2024 Morning Brew. All rights reserved. 22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011