#25- Toby Coppel - AI Deepest Dive: What Can We Learn From Previous AI Waves? Models, Applications & Picking AI winners

We're joined by Toby Coppel, Founder and General Partner at Mosaic Ventures, who has been investing in the last multiple waves of AI.

Toby's extensive career spans iconic firms like Netscape, AOL, & Yahoo, leading up to his current role at Mosaic Ventures, a prominent venture capital firm. He has been instrumental in significant investments, including a billion-dollar investment in Alibaba that yielded an $80 billion return for Yahoo shareholders. Toby provides an insider's perspective on the tech landscape, sharing invaluable lessons from his experiences with industry giants like Jerry Yang, Jack Ma, and Richard Branson.
 

Toby elaborates on Mosaic's investment philosophy, highlighting their focus on Series A and late seed-stage investments. He explains how Mosaic supports startups post-investment, emphasizing their hands-on approach and commitment to founder success. Toby also discusses Mosaic's thematic investment strategy, particularly in the realm of machine learning applications, where they have been active since 2016.
 
The conversation navigates through various waves of AI innovation, from early computer vision applications to the current era of generative AI and large language models. Toby shares his views on the evolving AI landscape, the challenges of training models, and the competitive dynamics of the AI industry.
 
We also explore the potential impact of AI on the job market, the ethical considerations surrounding AI use, and the importance of regulation in fostering innovation while ensuring safety. Toby offers his insights on the future of AI applications, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI in consumer and enterprise contexts.
 
Below is a quick synopsis of all the topics we cover:
 

Tech Industry Evolution: Insights from Toby's career in tech, including significant investments and strategic decisions.

Venture Capital Dynamics: Mosaic's unique approach to supporting startups and their focus on Series A investments.

AI Innovations: A comprehensive look at the waves of AI advancements and the current state of AI technology.

Market Conditions and Job Impact: Analysis of AI's impact on the job market and the ethical considerations involved.

Future of AI Applications: Exploration of the potential for AI in consumer and enterprise applications.

Regulatory Environment: The role of regulation in the development and deployment of AI technologies.
 
Join us for an enlightening discussion as we explore the intersections of technology, venture capital, and AI with one of the industry's most experienced investors.
 
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Here are the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players, you should be able to click the timestamp for the episode.

 

(00:00) - Intro

(02:50) - Toby's background and career journey

(06:19) - Mosaic's investment philosophy and framework

(08:17) - Investment stages and focus areas

(08:53) - Supporting startups post-investment

(09:45) - AI innovation waves and market dynamics

(13:00) - Current AI landscape and competitive dynamics

(17:15) - AI Investment Landscape and Mosaic's positions

(23:30) - Large Language Model (LLM) - based Applications

(36:23) - Future potential of AI applications

(42:11) - Future direction of copyright protections for training data

(45:46) - How Generative AI might reduce the cost of building applications?

(49:31) - Impact of Generative AI on traditional job roles

(52:48) - Europe's current position on AI

(56:26) - Regulation in AI and its implications

(61:43) - Outro