Founder's Thoughts with Nathan Hanks

BrightAI is merging Artificial Intelligence and IoT to create “AIoT” and it’s creating once unthinkable possibilities across all industries. 

AI is only as good as the data it’s fed. Now, thanks to better-than-human sensing, we’re able to utilize the power of AI in ways that were simply not possible before. From increased productivity to life-saving innovations, AIoT is a powerful tech duo. And it’s set to pave the way for major changes in standard business operations.

Nathan Hanks, one of BrightAI’s founders, sat down with us to share his thoughts on how this evolution will transform businesses. Here’s what he had to say.

How do you see AI and IoT driving change in the next five to ten years?

I think we are going to see AI and IoT – or AIoT – used together to unleash a lot of human productivity. We are going to start to see very tough work that people either don't want to do, or isn't even safe to do, disappear.

Think about industries like pest control, where people go around and spray poisons. That can put a technician at risk if they are exposed to large amounts of dangerous chemicals over a long period of time. With BrightAI’s better-than-human sensing, we can pinpoint exactly where a technician needs to spray. This helps drastically reduce the amount of chemicals they use. That’s better for the technician, the business, and the environment. So it helps keep people safe and allows businesses to redeploy their best talent. These freed-up workers can be used to go after bigger opportunities, helping businesses become more competitive players in their market.

I think AIoT will also transform the consumer experience. Think about all the times you’ve waited in a long line at the market just to buy one or two things. Now, innovations in AIoT allow you to grab what you need and walk out. With better-than-human sensing, you can skip the line and still be accurately charged for the items you buy.

What is the BrightAI leadership team’s purpose?

Even though there's a lot of invention that goes on at BrightAI, the real purpose of our team is to help companies improve their businesses. We’re creating a platform that helps all businesses become more productive so that their customers have better experiences.

Our goal is to harness all the different technologies people need to become leaders in their industry and make them easy-to-use and adoptable for any enterprise. We’re democratizing access to cutting-edge tech that many companies don’t even realize is available to them.

I think what is most exciting about our team is that we have a group of really smart people that have the exact experience needed to help get AIoT technology to businesses. We all have very different backgrounds, but everybody has this distinctive superpower of excelling at both business development and tech innovation.

What are some of the benefits businesses get from working with BrightAI?

We’ve seen our technology drive entire businesses forward. AIoT transformations are better for the customer, meaningful for employees, and more profitable for businesses. 

The first benefit is the money companies immediately save. One example is that BrightAI can transform the performance of machines businesses already use. So instead of having to throw away old equipment and start with something new, we can improve productivity for a really small price. Suddenly the incredible cost constraints executives were up against are gone, and they can grow their business at a faster rate.

But these technologies unleash so much opportunity, that the benefits go beyond making companies run better. Every time we transform a business, we see a second order effect. The improvements we’ve implemented are also transformative for both the workers and the customers of that business.

We’ve seen it when pool companies reduce the drowning risk for children. We’ve seen it when pest control employees step away from using toxic sprays. We’ve seen it when someone doing laundry doesn’t need to worry about running out of quarters anymore.

Why does BrightAI look to partner with Private Equity firms?

When investors think about cutting-edge technology, most focus on things like crypto, NFTs, or genetics. They completely overlook what we call the “hidden gem” businesses.

These are products and services that people rely on every day – like air conditioning, food, and home services. They’re often delivered by huge, but private, companies. And many of them are PE owned or backed businesses.

These types of businesses impact every part of our lives, yet many investors ignore them. So, these hidden gems are just sitting there, waiting to be transformed by digital operating models. BrightAI’s AIoT transformations can turbocharge their power. And when these businesses become digitized, they have incredible enterprise value creation.

So, with our help, these businesses can turn out to be some of the most interesting assets that exist in the world. We find that both the owners and the executives of these companies make really incredible partners, even if they're not deep technology people.

Interested in hearing more from BrightAI’s thought leaders? Discover how our other founders are helping transform multiple industries through next generation AI. If you have any questions, or if you’d like to schedule an interview with any one of our founders, email us at info@bright.ai.