- AI KATANA
- Posts
- AI Won’t Replace Subject Matter Experts
AI Won’t Replace Subject Matter Experts
Also: Singapore is turning to AI to care for its rapidly aging population

Hello! Here’s your daily briefing on the latest in AI, innovation, and industry trends. Today’s highlights explore the evolving role of AI in sectors ranging from engineering and eldercare to art and aviation, alongside groundbreaking advancements from major players like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. Whether it’s reshaping workflows, enhancing cultural experiences, or addressing societal challenges, AI continues to redefine possibilities across disciplines.
Sliced just for you:
🤖 AI Won’t Replace Subject Matter Experts
🎨 Is Art Basel’s AI embrace a turning point for the art world?
🌍 Adebayo Ogunlesi joins OpenAI’s Board of Directors
🚀 Microsoft Launches CoreAI to Drive the Next Generation of AI-First Applications
✈️ Qatar Airways debuts Sama, the AI-powered digital cabin crew
👵🏼 Singapore is turning to AI to care for its rapidly aging population
The integration of AI into engineering workflows has sparked discussions on its potential to replace or augment human expertise. While AI significantly enhances efficiency by automating routine tasks and assisting in problem-solving, it is seen as a tool to empower engineers rather than replace them. Experts emphasize that AI enables junior engineers to achieve results comparable to seasoned professionals, allowing senior experts to focus on more complex design challenges. AI is reshaping roles within industries, pushing engineers to adopt interdisciplinary skills and work across traditional silos, particularly in the semiconductor sector. Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) are increasingly integrated into tools to simplify processes, providing quick access to vast repositories of knowledge and optimizing workflows. However, challenges remain, including data accessibility for training models and safeguarding proprietary information. Ultimately, AI is poised to complement human expertise, fostering collaboration between generalists and specialists while driving innovation in increasingly complex systems.
Art Basel, a leading global art fair, has embraced AI through its innovative Art Basel app, marking a pivotal moment in the art world’s relationship with technology. While AI has faced skepticism in creative industries, this initiative highlights its potential to enhance user experiences rather than replace human creativity. The app leverages Microsoft Copilot to serve as a personalized guide, helping attendees navigate exhibitions, schedule activities, and access tailored recommendations. Additionally, the Art Basel Lens feature allows users to scan artworks for instant insights about artists and galleries, fostering deeper engagement. This pragmatic approach demonstrates how AI can address challenges like accessibility and information overload in large-scale events, signaling a shift in how traditional industries incorporate digital tools to augment cultural experiences.
OpenAI has announced the addition of Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi to its Board of Directors, bringing extensive expertise in global infrastructure, finance, and strategy to the organization’s leadership. Ogunlesi, the Founding Partner, Chairman, and CEO of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and a Senior Managing Director at BlackRock, is recognized for his global influence and leadership across complex commercial landscapes. His appointment strengthens OpenAI’s capabilities in advancing AI infrastructure, fostering innovation, and pursuing its mission toward achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). Ogunlesi’s distinguished career includes roles at Credit Suisse, teaching positions at Harvard and Yale, and board memberships at several major organizations, positioning him to contribute meaningfully to OpenAI’s strategic and ethical goals.
Microsoft has announced CoreAI, a new division dedicated to advancing its AI platform and tools, signaling a pivotal shift in application development. CoreAI integrates teams from its Dev Division, AI Platform, and the Office of the CTO to create an end-to-end stack for AI-first applications, emphasizing “agentic” capabilities with memory, entitlements, and action space. Under Jay Parikh’s leadership, CoreAI aims to optimize Microsoft’s AI infrastructure, enhance developer productivity, and unify its Copilot tools with Azure, GitHub, and Visual Studio. This strategic move positions Microsoft to redefine software development by enabling both first-party and third-party customers to build and deploy AI-driven applications across industries. CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the transformative potential of this initiative, equating its impact to past technological shifts like GUI and cloud-native computing, as the company aims to lead in the evolving AI landscape.
Qatar Airways has unveiled Sama, the first AI-powered digital cabin crew, designed to engage audiences worldwide via social media. Introduced at ITB Berlin 2024, Sama represents the airline’s innovation-driven approach to enhancing brand connection and storytelling. By leveraging platforms like Instagram under the handle @SamaOnTheMove, Sama shares curated travel tips, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and destination highlights across Qatar Airways’ extensive network. This initiative aims to humanize the airline’s brand while fostering emotional connections with a digital audience. Senior Vice President Babar Rahman emphasized Sama’s role in blending human connection with technological innovation, positioning it as a model for the future of travel and marketing. This move aligns with broader industry trends favoring personalized, immersive user experiences in a crowded digital landscape.
Singapore is leveraging AI to address the challenges of a rapidly aging population and a nursing shortage. AI-powered tools like Dexie, a humanoid robot, provide companionship and lead activities in eldercare facilities, helping to reduce loneliness and improve engagement. Innovative initiatives include SoundKeepers, a pilot program using voice biomarkers to detect early depression signs, and MemoryLane, a generative AI application enabling seniors to document life stories. Other advancements include AI-driven pill reminders and exercise routines. These projects align with Singapore’s healthcare focus on preventive care, supported by a $730 million investment in AI capabilities. Despite concerns about privacy and over-reliance on robotic companionship, these technologies aim to enhance eldercare by complementing human interaction and ensuring early detection of health issues.
🛠️ AI tools updates
Google’s Gemini AI has redefined the boundaries of visual processing by achieving real-time, multi-stream analysis of both live video feeds and static images simultaneously. This milestone, demonstrated via the experimental AnyChat platform, showcases Gemini’s ability to integrate visual and conversational interactions seamlessly. While traditional AI platforms struggle with single-stream constraints, Gemini’s architecture optimizes multiple visual inputs without compromising performance, opening possibilities across diverse fields. Applications range from educational tools offering contextual assistance to creative and industrial use cases like medical diagnostics and real-time quality control. This breakthrough emphasizes the transformative potential of multimodal AI, as developers begin exploring new possibilities through accessible tools like AnyChat, even ahead of official implementations in Google’s platforms.
💵 Venture Capital updates
Synthesia, a British AI video platform, has raised $180 million in funding, doubling its valuation to $2.1 billion. This round was led by NEA, with participation from Atlassian Ventures and others, reflecting investor confidence in Synthesia’s utility-focused approach. Synthesia allows users to create videos with multilingual AI avatars and has recently added features like full-body avatars and screen recording guided by AI. CEO Victor Riparbelli emphasized the platform’s independence from heavy venture capital reliance, unlike some AI firms. Synthesia has also bolstered its AI safety efforts, including public tests to address misuse risks such as deepfakes. With significant traction in the U.S., which now contributes over half its revenue, the company plans to enhance product development and compliance measures while expanding its global team of over 400 employees. This development aligns with the U.K.’s ambitions to lead in AI innovation.
Nvidia has invested in MetAI, a Taiwanese startup specializing in AI-powered digital twins, as part of a $4 million seed round. MetAI accelerates the creation of “SimReady” digital twins by converting CAD files into 3D environments within minutes, targeting sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing and smart warehousing. The startup integrates with Nvidia’s Omniverse platform, enabling scalable environments for physical AI training and advanced automation. Unlike traditional approaches, MetAI’s focus on synthetic data generation and generative models supports robust AI training tailored to real-world applications. The funding will expand MetAI’s R&D efforts, establish a U.S. office, and enhance its go-to-market strategies, reflecting its ambition to become a global leader in simulation-driven solutions for industries requiring high operational precision.
🫡 Meme of the day

⭐️ Generative AI image of the day

Before you go, check out Why it’s time to revisit the value and meaning of work in the age of AI.
