Post by The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

As COO of Surge AI, Bradley Webb T’16 is focused on one thing: delivering high-quality data, at scale, so AI models can become immeasurably more useful and powerful. "Data is the missing piece,” says Webb. “It’s what stands between where we are now and getting to a world where AI models are infinitely interesting, and funny, and able to help address humanity-scale problems like, ‘How do we solve cancer?” Webb says there's a long way to go to reach that kind of AI future. In the near term, he predicts the biggest business investment in AI will be in model evaluation. “Amid this rush to deploy AI we haven’t seen the requisite investment in evaluation frameworks that will help businesses ensure their investment in AI is economically valuable." Grappling with the power and constraints of data is nothing new for Webb. More than a decade ago, he was working in finance on the product team for an advanced Navy satellite program. During that time, he became fascinated by the intricate process required to load and offload massive amounts of data captured by orbiting satellites for high-fidelity GPS and a variety of other applications. The experience led him to pursue his MBA and a successful pivot from finance into tech. “It’s a privilege and a great responsibility to play a role in shaping the evolution of one of the most important technology waves we’ve seen in decades," he shares. "It’s not hyperbolic to say that AI will impact our economy in a way that rivals what the assembly line did more than 100 years ago."