Cerebral Valley: Emad Mostaque (Stability AI) with Eric Newcomer

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Published 2023-04-04
Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque sits down with Eric Newcomer.

From www.newcomer.co/ :

I didn’t know what to make of Stability AI and its CEO Emad Mostaque heading into my conversation with Mostaque Thursday at Cerebral Valley.

Mostaque’s company has wrapped its arms around the wildly successful open-source artificial intelligence project Stable Diffusion.

Last year, Mostaque’s company, Stability AI, raised about $100 million at a $1 billion valuation in a deal led by Coatue.

On the other hand, the company has publicly scuffled with fellow Stable Diffusion co-creator Runway. Stability AI got sued by Getty Images. And it’s hard to understand exactly how Stability AI plans to profit off its proximity to Stable Diffusion. Is it just a really hyped AI consulting company?

Mostaque himself is a man of mystery. He’s a former hedge fund investor who has situated himself at the heart of generative AI. He makes big pronouncements. There are whispers that Stability AI is raising another big funding round and is in talks with a big tech company partner.

On stage, Mostaque didn’t dismiss the idea that the company might partner with Apple.

Mostaque also said that he intended to take Stability AI public, insisting that the public markets want to get behind the AI trend. Bloomberg wrote about it.

I won’t tell you how to feel about the conversation.

Some people afterward told me that they were impressed by Mostaque’s performance and conviction. Mostaque had signed the letter calling for a pause in AI development — a surprising stance for someone who helped launch the generative AI craze. He was among the most electric speakers at Cerebral Valley.

At the same time, some well-connected attendees told me off the record that they don’t believe Mostaque’s pronouncements. He can be short on specifics and big on promises. I found it hard to pin him down on many of the details of his business.

The AI world is watching to see what happens next. Give it a listen.
All Comments (21)
  • @Changeling9au
    I get a generally good vibe from Emad. I only discovered him a few days ago and have now listened to quite a few interviews with him and he certainly espouses an empowering vision of the potential of decentralised and open source AI. I also note that most of the channels which feature interviews with him have relatively small subscriber bases, which suggests that he's offering a genuine alternative to the highly publicised Big Tech visions. As I researched him further, I stumbled across the Forbes article from early June 2023 which claimed he'd 'exaggerated' and had been 'misleading'. As I was reading it I found myself thinking that the article, at its highest, merely raised a few concerning questions - it didn't come close to establishing that he'd really done anything wrong. If it's ever revealed that the Forbes article was a deliberately planted attempt at a hit piece, I wouldn't bat an eyelid. Then I found that he'd satisfactorily answered the article's quasi-allegations in his blog. Certainly a person and an organisation which I'll be keeping an eye on!
  • @scottpark2395
    This is why none of the money guys are talking about Emad what a hero.
  • @harrywoods9784
    Just a thought, in my mind the problem with AI alignment is not with AI, it’s with the nation state alignment . The best way forward may be iterate and correct, there’s too many unknown unknowns. fear is not a solution .🤔IMO
  • @leandrewdixon3521
    Emad is so undiscovered! One of the most important voices for the future of humanity and A.I. both.
  • @jasonjestin
    It’s getting to the point that these tools are so influential and powerful over humans that the people that get to decide what they do really will have the capacity to impact us all. I k or regulation is import at but I wonder if it is enough.
  • @Known-unknowns
    Isn’t it interesting how few views this has ? What does that tell you ? Tells me most people don’t know what’s heading their way.
  • @jordanzothegreat8696
    this needs more exposure! wasn't expectind Emad to have such a realistic perspective
  • @mateoblanco285
    All of these ai thought leaders concern me for some reason. I don’t know what it is.