Artificial intelligence has taken the business world by storm in 2023, and some businesses and organizations are seamlessly folding in new practices that leverage AI. Others are waiting — because they don’t understand it, don’t have the bandwidth to radically change up their processes or don’t recognize their access to the talent that could help them incorporate AI.
As the technology develops at a rapid clip, early adopters will make iterative changes, constantly evolving as AI leads them to new places. It takes a certain kind of bravery, which often comes with knowledge.
CEO Rose LeJiste of RL Engineering and Tech Solutions in Altamonte Springs was already an advanced technologist when AI arrived on the scene.
She has since matriculated AI into her company's services. "We offer data analytics, data science, business optimization and adjacent services that rely on machine learning. We decided to make changes based on new technologies because the core of what we do is relevant to AI."
In a July 16 article documenting AI’s impact, The Economist noted that companies willing to reorganize themselves around AI will benefit most, citing examples of transformational tech that were initially met with fear but ultimately became the status quo, like the tractor and the computer.
While LeJiste had the stomach for reorganization, most will dip their toe in the pool by trying applications that use AI long before restructuring.
Trying on AI for size
The Crime Center in the Orlando Police Department’s South Street headquarters has been steadily adding tech capabilities to its roster: “You find when you operate one of these centers that just about every one of these software companies that has a product, when they hear you're rolling, they're like, ‘Hey, can we come in and demo a product with you?” said Capt. Frank Nunez. “I usually get about one to two pitches a week.”
Nunez said he reviews options — his boss does as well — and ultimately City Hall decides if they think the Crime Center needs the product or service in question.
In June 2021, the Orlando City Council approved the use of a platform called Fusus, and in September 2022, OPD rolled out Orlando Connect, a real-time surveillance program. The Orlando Connect web page is a template provided by Atlanta-based Fusus.
Orlando businesses and residents can register their exterior-facing security cameras, giving police a view through those cameras. An operative in the Crime Center uses Fusus system software to search for specifics, choosing a time span, radius and using keywords associated with a suspect, for example.
The software uses AI to curate the content harvested from registered and integrated cameras throughout the city, refining all that to a series of 30-second clips that best match the search.
On one case, Detective James Gardner said, “I knew a description of a bicycle and a color of a shirt that the person was wearing. So I could loop those cameras up basically using the AI in the system there. I had about 12 cameras and a six-hour window, which is 72 hours of footage. The program reduced that to less than an hour of matching footage using AI.”
OPD does not track the number of cases impacted by Fusus and can’t determine a return on investment, Officer Danielle Gately said. Fusus Chief Strategy Officer Sahil Merchant would not reveal the cost of the platform.
When it comes to AI, there are levels to this thing. Some entities test and try the tech, and others remake themselves to stay on the cutting edge. Then, new companies that wouldn’t exist without AI are emerging in the region.
All in on AI
Senseily, a learning management startup founded by Jacques Fu — the former chief technology officer and co-founder of Orlando unicorn Stax Payments — is built on an AI foundation. Enterprise-level clients specify courses they want Senseily to create, providing a scope that defines the outcomes.
A major state tourism agency wanted 52 different courses, with 10 versions of each one for different kinds of learners. The firm’s platform has an AI-powered “orchestrator” called Cognition that takes the best from other engines such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard and orchestrates outputs based on client needs.
“The platform does in short order what would take humans months or years to do, and does it well,” President Luis Garcia said.
More Central Florida businesses built on AI
- C2 Technologies
The Orlando firm harnesses a variety of technologies including AI to develop enterprise solutions for major clients like the U.S. Air Force.
https://www.c2ti.com/
- Fountain Life
The Lake Nona company uses AI machine learning to read vast amounts of health data to detect early-stage disease in patients with the goal of improving longevity.
https://fountainlife.com/
- Novacharge
Orlando-headquartered Novacharge is an electric vehicle supply equipment company that uses AI to monitor and maintain EV chargers nationwide.
- Orson
Based in Winter Garden, the AI-driven content creation startup has developed marketing solutions in the user generated content space.
https://heyorson.com/
- SplusM
This Orlando-based company develops models informed by machine learning and AI, with a focus on transportation.
https://www.s-plus-m.ai/
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