The Start-Up Using Machine Learning to Help Big Business
*By Michael Teich*
Uptake, one of America's [fastest growing](https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/the-11-fastest-us-startups-to-a-2b-valuation) tech start-ups, is tapping into artificial intelligence to launch the industrial world into the modern era.
Outdated technology and the absence of crucial data is failing many companies in the sector, but machine learning could be the solution to stronger profits, said the company's president Ganesh Bell.
Bell hopes his firm, which analyzes data then issues recommendations to construction companies, can educate his clients.
"Imagine a world where every citizen in the world actually posts their status on Twitter or Facebook every second of the day, no matter what's happening, and nobody was listening. That wouldn't be fun. That's really what's happening in the industrial world," Bell said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
Bell stressed that today as little as 1 percent of data available from industrial machines is being used, and that underutilization leads to premature breakdowns.
Taking note of this inefficiency, Uptake acquired Asset Performance Technologies, a company that can unlock over 20 years of data, Bell said. He added that Uptake can identify "55,000 ways of achieving a break."
"We predict when machines are going to need service, when they are going to fail based on machine learning and A.I. These are all industries like power, energy, oil and gas, construction," he said.
All of this is positive for the bottom lines of companies like Caterpillar and Berkshire Hathaway Energy, with which Uptake partners.
But Bell said consumers also should also be optimistic about Uptake's technology because of its impact on the environment.
"As consumers, we all care about a green world," Bell said. "We're helping them reduce carbon emissions."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/using-a-i-to-modernize-the-outdated-industrials-industry).
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Starbucks’ AI barista aims to speed service and improve experience. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune Business Editor, explains its impact on workers and customers.
As Big Tech reports Q3 earnings, investors await proof that massive AI and cloud investments from Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet are driving real growth.
