“In cybersecurity, we are world leaders, but in artificial intelligence we are playing catch-up with Paris.” AI is of course artificial intelligence, and the “we” in this case is Israel, and the quote is from a guy named Ben Luria, the head of a startup called Hirondo. Ben was one of more than 20 Startup and Venture Fund members in the Israeli delegation to Vivatech, the annual tech expo for “making deals and chatting,” as one New York Times columnist described it, here in Paris. This year, artificial intelligence is king.
Every year Israeli startups and investors come to VivaTech, which is actually a full service information at all levels, product demos and a noise fest, from wingtips to sneakers, to put it simply. It features corporate stands, country and regional pavilions, live on-stage discussions between top tech figures, and thousands of startups making the rounds. VivaTech founder Maurice Levy, chairman of advertising giant PublicisGroupe, the world's third largest, maintained his legendary high energy on stage with global technology leaders for three full days. His partner in this project since 2016 is the newspaper group Les Echos.
But Ben Luria and Hirondo from Tel Aviv, 30, don't add anything to the AI content, they subtract from it. “You can train AI models, but you can't make them forget, and that means inaccurate, harmful or vulnerable personal data won't go away,” he explained. “At Hirundo, we are the first to market with an AI learning platform. We are at the forefront.”
Led, as is the case every year, by Yossi Dan, a long-time figure in Israeli and French-speaking tech circles with ties to the Israeli-French Chamber of Commerce, the delegation visited the platforms of major French groups. Quickly and shamelessly, those who wanted to deliver a 20-second presentation of their product or service in selected crowded platforms.
In the magic-driven L'Oréal, Ama Care's Vera Art has stepped up. Its app and platform contain information on more than 200,000 beauty products in the skin and hair care space, collected without artificial intelligence. Users and consumers (this is a B2C product) take photos of specific products to access all the information, a process that uses classic AI technology. Combining this content information with personal details added by the consumer uses generative AI to determine whether a product is better, harmful, or perhaps useless.
“We have about 270,000 users who are mostly teens and Gen Z in the US, UK and Europe,” Vera told me after her quick demo of L'Oréal (which I couldn't hear due to nearby background noise). Find them Ama Care on TikTok. “Users download the app for free,” she continued.
Makeup and fragrance products will be launched soon. “When we reach one million users, we will consider selling analytics related to the content and use of the product, without personal information of course, to large groups and small companies that manufacture them,” Vera added with a broad smile.
The guy from L'Oreal was interested. Vera Art will stay in touch with him. Mission partially accomplished. And you've just learned the difference between classical and generative AI.
Doreen Tamir told me he prefers to stay under the radar with his startup Luminescent. He has developed a process that uses renewable energy to convert heat into electricity, and electricity into heat. He appeared positive after speaking to someone at the crowded stand of French energy and construction giant Bouygues.
David Alloush, a startup pioneer, insisted on talking to me. “30% of clicks on internet ads are bots,” he told me while sitting at Priya’s stand. His current company, Clickfreeze, recognizes and blocks bots. He says he has worked on about 2,500 advertising campaigns, often with the media departments of major retailers as clients.
It is impossible for me to be able to introduce all members of the Israeli delegation. But I can name them: Merry Berger from 6Degrees, Vera Art from Ama-Care, Ferid Horesh from Bria, David Alloush from ClickFreeze, David A. Gluck of CmyLead, Steve Ormond of D-ID, Franklin Maimon of FinBerry, Ben Luria of Hirundo, Elsa Katz of Zora Ventures, Dvir Kenig of ITC, Doron Tamir of Luminescent, Daniel Finchelstein of Milestone, Matt Amberg of Mint Link, and Dima Maslennikov from PitchBob, Gilad Ivry from Qualifire, Eitan Zenger from Sibe.io, and Ariel Navon from Stage. , Nimrod Gottesman at Telus, and Dionys Tischler at TruLux.
On a platform of its own was the already well-established Bria, with its open platform for visual generative AI. Vice President of Marketing Sharon Dayan explained that Bria has signed partnerships with 18 stock houses, giving it access to about a billion images. “This ensures customers that all the images they use are from a legal source,” she told me. “And we started working with videos.” Priya recently signed an agreement with Microsoft, as reported in 'Globes'. Investors include French advertising giant PublicisGroupe.
The delegation was accompanied by Sephora Cohen from the Business Development Department of the Israeli Embassy, Michelle Kaufman, Odelia Bovot-Nataf, and Jennifer Attia from the Franco-Israeli Chamber of Commerce. “We are following up on Israeli startups that might develop their business here in France,” Odilia noted. “They ask us to help them find the right contact in a large French group, for example, or to find office space to set up here in Paris.”
Finally, I got to spend some time with VivaTech founder and pioneer Maurice Levy at the Viva Lounge. He promptly left his phone on the table while making small conversations with at least five people around us in the lounge. Maurice eventually came back to me and his phone and immediately noticed that AI made up 40% of the show, but it was used in every area of technology.
I asked him about a statement Elon Musk made during a satellite conversation with him, during which the Tesla CEO said: “My biggest hope in one word is Mars. My biggest fear in one word: artificial intelligence.”
“Elon is cautious about artificial intelligence, concerned about it being used to steal votes and images,” Morris said. “Yes, as I mentioned, AI must be protected. And I think AI cybersecurity is going to be very important for democracy everywhere. It will be the new gatekeeper, the new frontier, the tools that will tell us what's real and what's fake. People's biggest fear about AI is Being lied to, especially in times of war, does happen and AI cybersecurity will also be a great thing to do.
Maurice Levy added that he was very happy to see the Israeli delegation present during this “very sensitive period.” He then said goodbye and went to prepare for the on-stage discussion with Robin Li, president of Chinese internet giant Baidu.
In fact, even though some people said it was “unacceptable,” I thought it was important to raise the war in Gaza with the delegation members. So I pressed a few of them about it, but they weren't happy about recording anything. I reluctantly let him go. Only the delegation's organizer Yossi Dan was able to speak easily with journalist Hanna Babiashvili from i24 News TV and with me. I must point out that it was greatly appreciated by the members of the delegation for organizing this expedition to Paris, especially in the current situation.
“Interest in Israeli technology is perhaps greater in the current difficult context,” he told i24. “We know what is going on in Israel, but this is the business side. We can say, Israel is implementing no matter what.”
“There's a lot of not-so-good noise around Israel, like floodlights,” he told me. “This situation isn't easy, but you see Microsoft just signed an agreement with Bria to include its visual AI model in customer presentations. That's huge.”
Then I came across an amazing sculpture in the ArtIA booth. (IA – Artificial Intelligence). Co-founder Asma El Maharawi, a young French-Moroccan artist, told me that she used generative AI to piece together about 4,000 images of different sculptures, representing the history of sculpture, and created “a new vision of Venus.” She 3D printed and sculpted from amber resin and gold leaf a 60kg model called VenusIA. “It's the first sculpture ever to use artificial intelligence,” she told me proudly. “There are paintings, but there are no sculptures.” I have not been able to verify this independently.
Of the 165,000 Vivatech attendees at this 8th edition (+10% through 2023), including 13,500 startup teams, how many people watched this VenusIA? They saw light filtering through the different shades of gold-flecked amber, giving the piece a strong, flowing presence and a symbol of love.
AI is already taking us into a brave new world, as did the Industrial Revolution and the first era of mass computer use, and perhaps a world where nothing is impossible… Just an idea I had of how high the idea of “AI for good” was going to be. It can fly, on Vivatech's floor here in Paris.
Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on May 27, 2024.
© Copyright Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.
