Jun 10, 2026

BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson on the Oil & Gas Upstream Podcast: Physical AI and the Future of Energy Operations

BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson recently joined Elena Melchert on the Oil & Gas Upstream Podcast to talk about one of the most consequential shifts underway in energy today: the rise of Physical AI in critical infrastructure.

The episode is live now — and if you operate assets in the upstream space, it’s worth your time.

Listen to the episode –> https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oil-and-gas-upstream/id1450833136?i=1000772086749

A few of the themes from the episode:

Sensors and robotics are generating data at a scale the industry has never seen. Advanced sensors embedded across upstream operations — from wellheads to compressor stations to pipelines — are producing a continuous stream of physical signals. The question is no longer whether you can collect the data. It’s whether your AI models can turn that data into decisions that matter before something goes wrong.

Productivity gains are real, and they’re measurable. Alex spoke to how operators using Physical AI are seeing tangible improvements in uptime, throughput, and crew efficiency — not incremental improvements, but step-change gains in how work gets planned and executed in the field.

Safety is the story that doesn’t get told enough. When AI can detect the early signatures of equipment stress, gas migration, or structural fatigue before they escalate, the people on the ground are safer. That’s not a feature. That’s the point.

Sustainability goals and operational goals aren’t in tension. Smarter operations mean fewer unplanned shutdowns, less flaring, and tighter emissions profiles. Physical AI gives operators the visibility to reduce waste — not as a compliance exercise, but as a byproduct of running better.

Listen to the Episode

The Oil & Gas Upstream Podcast brings together operators, engineers, and leaders from across the energy sector. Host Elena Melchert has built the show around practical insight and direct conversation — and this episode is a good example of both.

Listen now.

Apr 30, 2026

A thank you to our customers

But the recognition isn’t really about us. It’s about you.

The report doesn’t measure what vendors say about themselves. It measures what their customers say. The scoring runs on verified testimonials, case studies, and success stories. Over 500 pieces of customer content were evaluated across the 24 vendors that qualified, and BrightAI hit the highest tier on the volume and quality of our customers’ voices.

The truth is in the field. That’s what BrightAI was built on. A water utility catching a failure before it floods a road. An oil and gas operator finding a leak before it leads to downtime. A logistics yard running cleaner because its assets are finally observable. That’s the work. Reactive becomes proactive. Productivity, resilience, and sustainability follow.

Our customers do that work every day. The Stateful platform gets to support it.

So to everyone who’s trusted BrightAI to instrument something real: thank you. None of this is possible without the work you’ve done and the stories you’ve shared with us.

If you’re looking for AI that improves the working world, we’d like to meet you. Talk to our team at bright.ai/get-started and we’ll show you what our customers are already doing.

Click here to read the report.

Jan 7, 2026

Podcast: Alex Hawkinson on Boardroom Club – Builders Series

Alex joins Yossi Garmazi and Jason Woolf to discuss the inspiration behind the start of BrightAI.

Listen to the full episode here.

06.10.2026

BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson on the Oil & Gas Upstream Podcast: Physical AI and the Future of Energy Operations

BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson recently joined Elena Melchert on the Oil & Gas Upstream Podcast to talk about one of the most consequential shifts underway in energy today: the rise of Physical AI in critical infrastructure. The episode is live now — and if you operate assets in the upstream space, it’s worth your time. […]

04.30.2026

A thank you to our customers

FeaturedCustomers just released its Spring 2026 Next-Gen AI Software Customer Success Report, and BrightAI was named a Market Leader. We’re sharing the top of the rankings with Groq, Ivo, and Listen Labs. But the recognition isn’t really about us. It’s about you. The report doesn’t measure what vendors say about themselves. It measures what their […]

12.12.2025

Media: BrightAI plans to hire more than 1,000 Bay Area workers to fix aging U.S. infrastructure

CEO, Alex Hawkinson, met with the San Francisco Business Times to share how BrightAI’s new 25,000 sq. ft. headquarters supports the growing demand for physical AI solutions, which deliver real-time intelligence to power, water, and other critical industries.

Dec 12, 2025

Media: BrightAI plans to hire more than 1,000 Bay Area workers to fix aging U.S. infrastructure

With plans to grow to more than 1,000 employees, BrightAI is investing in the engineers and operators tackling the world’s most essential challenges.

💭 “There’s a magic that happens when people are together, physically, working on something,” Hawkinson said. “The energy is higher.”

Read more about BrightAI’s next chapter → https://bit.ly/3LJuK9r

Aug 4, 2025

Podcast: Alex Hawkinson on Dealmakers — Betting Big on Physical AI

What does it take to build a company that doesn’t follow the typical SaaS playbook? On the Dealmakers podcast, BrightAI founder and CEO Alex Hawkinson talks with host Alejandro Cremades about scaling real-world AI, selling SmartThings to Samsung, and why the physical world deserves just as much innovation as the digital one.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

Aug 4, 2025

Podcast: BrightAI’s Vision for AI in the Physical World

On the latest episode of Inspired, Alexa von Tobel interviews BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson about building companies that reshape how the world works—from SmartThings to BrightAI, and his mission to bring Physical AI to essential industries like HVAC, utilities, and more.

They discuss why Inspired Capital chose to invest, what lies ahead for BrightAI, and, in a more personal moment, how Alex handles stress, stays grounded, and the kindest thing anyone’s ever done for him.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here

Jul 18, 2025

Press Release: BrightAI Raises $51M Series A to Scale Physical AI

BrightAI has raised $51 million in Series A funding to bring real-time intelligence and automation to the physical infrastructure that powers modern life. The round was co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, with participation from BoxGroup, Marlinspike, VSC Ventures, Rsquared VC, Cooley LLP, and others.

Full press release follows below.

Press Release

BrightAI Raises $51M from Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital to Bring Physical AI to the World’s Essential Services

BrightAI adds $51 million in Series A funding from leading infrastructure and AI investors, bringing total funding to $78 million.
Backed by leaders from SmartThings, Rivian, and Microsoft, BrightAI equips frontline teams to outpace labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and climate risk.
A new San Francisco headquarters will support expansion into new industries, customers, and hires across engineering and operations.

San Francisco, CA, United States – WEBWIRE – Friday, July 18, 2025

BrightAI, the company bringing AI into the physical world to power smarter, more resilient infrastructure, today announced a $51 million Series A funding round co-led by Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, with participation from BoxGroup, Marlinspike, VSC Ventures, Rsquared VC, Cooley LLP and other strategic investors with deep operational experience across essential sectors like water, energy, and industrial infrastructure. Upfront Ventures led BrightAI’s Seed round, and this new capital brings BrightAI’s total funding to $78 million.

While AI has rapidly transformed the digital world, the physical infrastructure that keeps it all running—power grids, water pipelines, industrial systems—has been left behind. These essential networks are strained by aging assets, climate volatility, and deepening labor shortages. In the U.S. alone, pipeline leaks waste over 6 billion gallons of treated water every day—enough to supply 15 million homes—while power outages cost the economy more than $150 billion annually and equipment failures add another $50 billion in industrial downtime.

BrightAI was founded in 2019 with a bold mission: to bring AI into the physical world. Led by CEO and founder Alex Hawkinson, who previously founded SmartThings, BrightAI is replacing reactive inspections and manual maintenance with intelligent, always-on systems. The platform empowers field teams to anticipate and prevent failures before they happen, transforming the fundamental approach to infrastructure management for the first time since the Roman era.

AI will not only transform the digital world but our physical world as well,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. “BrightAI is using AI to monitor and maintain aging infrastructure, from power grids to pipelines and more, securing key assets for our future.

Despite touching the most essential parts of daily life, these systems are still monitored manually, with sparse data and infrequent inspections. Operators are often in the dark until something breaks—leading to costly, last-minute interventions. Risks like power outages or burst pipes remain difficult to predict and even harder to fix.

BrightAI gives field teams something they’ve never had before: true observability. While most AI systems are running out of new data to learn from, BrightAI is just getting started—unlocking billions of previously untapped signals from the physical world and turning them into real-time, actionable insights. With its platform, Stateful, teams gain always-on visibility into even the most remote physical assets.

BrightAI has solved a problem that’s lingered for decades—manual, reactive maintenance that leaves operators blind until critical failures occur,” said Alexa von Tobel, Managing Partner at Inspired Capital. “By deploying intelligent systems that can see, interpret, and act in real time, BrightAI brings the clarity and control these industries have long needed. This is real, high-impact innovation—built for the physical world.

Deployed across 50,000+ locations, BrightAI is building a dynamic, ever-expanding knowledge graph of the physical world. Its technology is embedded directly into the built environment—using sensors, drones, and wearables to continuously monitor asset health and deliver real-time, actionable insights. Field teams know exactly what to do before small anomalies become costly failures.

By transforming inspections and maintenance, BrightAI helps customers boost productivity, improve service quality, enhance worker safety, and navigate ongoing labor shortages. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

No more flashlight-and-clipboard patrols: BrightAI’s sensors and edge-AI monitor assets with expert insight around the clock, surfacing issues before crews ever step into the field.
No more repetitive, risky work: AI-powered robots take on dirty and dangerous inspection tasks, reducing safety hazards and freeing human teams to focus on skilled, high-value jobs.
No more steep learning curves: Wearables and mobile tools deliver real-time AI guidance, equipping new technicians with the know-how of a seasoned expert—on day one.

For decades, the physical world has lacked real-time awareness—teams have been forced to operate reactively, without the visibility they need,” said Alex Hawkinson, Founder and CEO of BrightAI. “We designed BrightAI to close that gap by continuously capturing and translating real-world signals into actionable intelligence. When you can truly observe what’s happening, you can get ahead of problems rather than chase them. That shift isn’t incremental—it’s foundational. And with the backing of Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, we’re scaling that transformation across the essential services that the world depends on.

This shift is already playing out across the real world. BrightAI has achieved product-market fit in sectors like power, water, pest control, HVAC, and manufacturing—surpassing $100 million in revenue. Its Stateful platform is built to learn and operate in any physical environment, and with fresh funding and an expanded leadership team, the company is scaling into new markets and accelerating commercial deployments. A new San Francisco headquarters opens next quarter, with plans to hire 50+ new team members over the coming year. The next chapter is about unlocking physical AI at global scale—to transform how the world’s essential systems are seen, understood, and managed.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.bright.ai/

About BrightAI
BrightAI is transforming essential services with Physical AI—real-world intelligence that drives proactive, data-driven operations. Built on the Stateful platform, BrightAI empowers operators of critical infrastructure to collect and connect sensor data in real time, uncover hidden insights, and make smarter decisions. From predictive diagnostics and autonomous robotics to digital twins and AI-enabled workflows, BrightAI solutions serve industries including water, power, gas compression, pest control, HVAC, and manufacturing. By turning complex physical signals into actionable intelligence, BrightAI is redefining how essential services are delivered and sustained.

Original press release available on WEBWIRE.

Jul 18, 2025

Announcing BrightAI’s $51M Series A to Bring Physical AI to the World’s Essential Services

Everyday systems—those that deliver power, water, clean air, and safety—are overdue for a smarter approach. BrightAI brings observability, automation, and intelligence to the essential services the world relies on every day.

BrightAI was founded to bring intelligence to the essential systems that power modern life. Today, we’re proud to share that we’ve raised $51 million in Series A funding to accelerate that mission. The round was co-led by Khosla Ventures, an early backer of OpenAI known for supporting breakthrough technologies that transform industries, and Inspired Capital, whose team brings deep expertise in scaling complex, operationally intensive infrastructure businesses. They’re joined by BoxGroup, Marlinspike, Rsquared VC, Cooley, VSC Ventures and other strategic investors with experience across energy, water, and industrial systems—exactly the sectors where change is most needed.

This milestone follows a year of rapid momentum: we’ve now surpassed $100 million in revenue, deployed over 250,000 AI endpoints across 50,000+ locations, and expanded into the essential sectors that keep homes, cities, and industries running.

The system is failing—and the fix is overdue

The essential services we rely on—power, water, gas, construction, pest control, and HVAC—are aging, overburdened, and increasingly vulnerable to failure. A cracked pipe doesn’t just leak—it shuts down neighborhoods. A blown transformer can take out a hospital or a city’s emergency response system.

For decades, we’ve operated under the same flawed framework: wait for something to break, then scramble to fix it. But today, the consequences of failure are compounding. In the U.S. alone, pipeline leaks waste over 6 billion gallons of treated water daily, enough to supply 15 million homes. Power outages cost the economy more than $150 billion annually, while equipment failures drive another $50 billion in industrial downtime. These systems are under increasing strain from climate volatility and a shrinking frontline workforce. The reactive model isn’t just inefficient—it’s unsustainable.

At the root of it all is a lack of observability. Unless someone physically inspects an asset, we’re flying blind. And by the time something’s visible, it’s often already too late.

Our focus is the physical world

While most AI has been applied to language, images, or software, we’re building intelligence for the systems that move water, deliver power, regulate temperature, and keep facilities safe. These are the core operations that modern life depends on—and they’ve gone too long without visibility.

Our platform, Stateful, acts like a real-time operating system for the physical world. It fuses edge AI, multimodal sensor data, and autonomous systems to give operators the one thing they’ve never had: true visibility into how essential services are functioning, right now.

This is what full observability looks like in action: sensors monitor field assets like power poles in real time, detecting early signs of stress or failure. That data flows into Stateful, which interprets live conditions and determines the appropriate response. Drones perform autonomous inspections, while field crews use wearables to access the same insights on the ground. Working together, these components create a continuous feedback loop—making essential systems fully observable, actionable, and resilient.

And that’s just one industry. With just a few weeks of initial data, our system adapts to nearly any physical environment. Power, water, gas, climate control, pest management—these aren’t background functions. They’re the foundation of modern life. When one fails, the consequences cascade. BrightAI gives operators the visibility to intervene before systems break down.

The future is observable

With this funding, we’re scaling commercial deployments, opening a new San Francisco headquarters, and hiring 100+ team members across engineering, operations, and go-to-market. We’re also continuing to expand Stateful, evolving it into the core intelligence layer for infrastructure globally.

The goal is simple: fix what’s broken, prevent what’s preventable, and reimagine how the world is maintained before it fails us. If you’re building, managing, or modernizing the world’s essential services, let’s connect.

BrightAI’s Series A was also featured in Bloomberg’s exclusive coverage of AI-driven infrastructure innovation.
→ Read the article

Mar 27, 2025

Press Release: BrightAI and Latham Bring AI Innovation to the Pool Industry

BrightAI and Latham, The Pool Company, have partnered to launch Measure by Latham Pools, an AI-powered scanning system that transforms how pool liners and covers are measured, quoted, and ordered. By eliminating manual tape measurements and reducing errors, Measure dramatically improves speed, accuracy, and customer satisfaction—setting a new benchmark for the pool industry.

Full press release follows below.

Press Release

BrightAI and Latham, The Pool Company, Partner to Bring AI-Powered Innovation to Pool Manufacturing

Measure by Latham Pools is powered by BrightAI’s technology to transform how pool liners and covers are measured, quoted, and ordered
AI-driven scanning eliminates manual measurement errors, accelerating order fulfillment and reducing production delays
The partnership brings automation and intelligence to pool manufacturing, enabling seamless ordering, faster installations, and improved customer satisfaction

San Francisco, California, United States – WEBWIRE – Thursday, March 27, 2025

BrightAI, a company bringing AI to the physical world to drive smarter, more efficient cities and industries, and Latham Group, Inc. (“Latham” or “the Company”) (Nasdaq: SWIM), the largest designer, manufacturer, and marketer of in-ground residential swimming pools in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, have partnered to create Measure by Latham Pools, an AI-powered measurement technology that transforms how pool liners and covers are measured, manufactured, and installed.

BrightAI is redefining how industries interact with the physical world, replacing legacy manual processes with real-time AI-driven intelligence. By optimizing industrial infrastructure and streamlining manufacturing, BrightAI delivers efficiency at scale. Now, BrightAI is bringing that same innovation to pool manufacturing.

No two pools are exactly alike, making precise measurements essential to ensuring a perfect fit. Yet, for decades, builders have relied on manual tape measurements and hand-drawn sketches—a time and labor-intensive process vulnerable to errors. Even the smallest miscalculation can result in costly rework, production delays, and frustrated customers. With every pool having unique dimensions and structural features, builders and manufacturers often face back-and-forth verification, creating bottlenecks that slow down the entire order-to-installation process.

BrightAI and Latham share a vision to digitize this process, eliminating inefficiencies and bringing AI-driven precision to pool measurement and manufacturing. By leveraging BrightAI’s AI-powered measurement system, Measure ensures accuracy the first time, streamlining workflows and cutting production timelines. The Measure system consists of:

M1 Scanner equipped with lasers to capture precise pool dimensions and structural details in real time
An iPad Air® running the Measure app for real-time data processing
A tripod for stable, secure setup in the field

Once measurements are captured using laser scanning technology, the data is automatically uploaded to Latham’s Builder Management Portal, enabling real-time drawings, accuracy verification, and streamlined quote and order processing. The laser scanning technology reduces the need for two-person crews at a pool site, allowing builders to measure with a single technician and helping dealers process orders faster—cutting manufacturing timelines from weeks to days.

Our partnership with Latham is a perfect example of how AI can transform industries that have long relied on manual processes,” said Alex Hawkinson, Founder and CEO of BrightAI.
“By integrating our AI, Latham has been able to digitize the pool industry and replace manual processes with real-time precision. Fewer mistakes result in fewer remakes, accelerating production and improving overall efficiency. This is exactly what BrightAI was built for—bringing AI into the physical world to solve complex industry challenges and drive real business impact.

The system has already delivered significant performance improvements, making pool manufacturing faster, more precise, and more scalable:

5x Faster Turnaround Times: AI automation reduces measurement time from days to minutes, improving workflow efficiency
Increased Accuracy & Fewer Errors: AI-driven precision eliminates costly rework and delays
Lower Labor Costs & Higher Productivity: Builders can measure with a single technician, rather than relying on highly paid, specialized crews
Seamless Manufacturing & Ordering Integration: Pool liners and covers are produced faster and more accurately, ensuring on-time delivery and installation

Beyond an efficiency upgrade, this is a category-defining transformation for the pool industry,” said Scott Rajeski, President and CEO of Latham Pool.
“With BrightAI’s technology, we’re digitizing a process that has remained manual for decades—bringing speed, accuracy, and automation to pool manufacturing. We see a future where pool technicians no longer need a measuring tape at the job site.

Latham plans to scale its AI-powered measurement technology across operations, modernizing the pool measurement process on an industry-wide scale. This expansion aims to set a new benchmark for precision, efficiency, and customer satisfaction in the pool industry.

For more information about BrightAI, please visit https://www.bright.ai.

About BrightAI

BrightAI is transforming essential services with Physical AI, enabling proactive, AI-powered operations. Built on our Stateful platform, BrightAI empowers operators of critical infrastructure to collect and connect data in real time, uncovering hidden insights and enabling smarter, faster decision-making. Stateful integrates multimodal data from sensors, wearables, and autonomous systems to deliver predictive diagnostics, automated workflows, and intelligent operational support.

Our solutions serve industries such as water, power, gas compression, pest control, HVAC, and manufacturing—helping service providers and asset owners boost efficiency, minimize downtime, and anticipate emerging challenges. By transforming complex data into actionable intelligence, BrightAI is redefining how essential services are delivered and evolved.

About Latham Group, Inc.

Latham Group, Inc. [NASDAQ: SWIM], headquartered in Latham, NY, is the largest designer, manufacturer, and marketer of in-ground residential swimming pools in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Latham has a coast-to-coast operations platform of over 2,000 employees across 30 facilities.

Original press release available on WEBWIRE.

Mar 4, 2025

Media: BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson on Physical AI and Infrastructure Innovation (Unite.AI)

How do you rethink infrastructure from the ground up?

For BrightAI CEO and Founder Alex Hawkinson, it started with a realization: the same intelligence that revolutionized smart homes could do far more than automate living spaces—it could transform the physical world.

In a recent interview with Unite.AI editor Antoine Tardif, Alex shares his journey from founding SmartThings to leading BrightAI, the emergence of Physical AI, and the urgent need for industries like water, power, and transportation to shift from reactive maintenance to proactive operations.

💡 Key takeaway: Infrastructure industries don’t suffer from a lack of data—they lack the tools to make it actionable for the people on the ground.

Read the full interview on Unite.AI

Listen to the Episode

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A thank you to our customers

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Press ReleaseBrightAI Raises $51M from Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital to Bring Physical AI to the World’s Essential Services

San Francisco, CA, United States – WEBWIRE – Friday, July 18, 2025

Related Articles

BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson on the Oil & Gas Upstream Podcast: Physical AI and the Future of Energy Operations

A thank you to our customers

Podcast: Alex Hawkinson on Boardroom Club – Builders Series

The system is failing—and the fix is overdue

Our focus is the physical world

The future is observable

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A thank you to our customers

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San Francisco, California, United States – WEBWIRE – Thursday, March 27, 2025

About BrightAI

About Latham Group, Inc.

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A thank you to our customers

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BrightAI CEO Alex Hawkinson on the Oil & Gas Upstream Podcast: Physical AI and the Future of Energy Operations

A thank you to our customers

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Press Release

BrightAI Raises $51M from Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital to Bring Physical AI to the World’s Essential Services