AI’s transformational power: Insights from Balderton’s autumn event series 

This autumn, Balderton brought together leading voices in AI to explore how the technology is reshaping our world. Through three distinct lenses, we explored the race between AI pioneers, the evolution of human-AI interaction, and the real-world impact of AI on traditional industries.

Inside the race between DeepMind and OpenAI with Bloomberg’s Parmy Olson

Parmy Olson joined us to discuss her latest book on the fascinating battle for AI dominance between two visionaries: Deepmind’s Demis Hassabis and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Both founders built cult-like followings while pursuing their mission to develop AI for good, but have chosen markedly different paths. As they’ve driven the development of AI to new heights, ties with tech giants have become muddied and questions of oversight and regulation have become increasingly important. 

Over the course of the evening investors, founders, operators and journalists discussed what can be done to balance advancements in AI  with proactive governance. While we may not have perfect solutions today, oversight and regulatory efforts now are crucial for responsible development.

Reimagining what AI looks like: Breaking out of the chatbox

Our Partner James Wise hosted Satyajeet Salgar, Product Management Lead at Google AI to explore how AI is breaking out of traditional chatbot interfaces to seamlessly integrated experiences. Drawing from his experience leading products like YouTube Live and Play Games, Salgar shared perspectives on AI’s integration into everyday digital experiences. While changes to how we use AI may seem gradual now, we’re approaching an inflection point where AI-driven interactions will become fundamentally more intuitive and productivity-enhancing.

GenAI meets insurance: An industry in transformation

We brought together leaders and experts from across the insurance industry to discuss how rapidly evolving AI technology is transforming the insurance industry already. Moderated by our Partner Rob Moffat, we were joined by Sten Saar, CEO & cofounder of insurtech startup ZEGO, Marina Belezina, Group Director for Strategy at Aviva, and Martin Rehak CEO of fraud detection startup Resistant AI. The discussion revealed how GenAI is creating new challenges in fraud while also enhancing detection capabilities. The consensus was clear – GenAI isn’t just coming; it’s already here, and internal team productivity has been supercharged as workers’ time is freed up to focus on what really matters. With licences to tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, insurance teams are leaning on AI to accomplish tasks like document processing, code QA and comment annotation, driving efficiencies across underwriting, claims, and risk management. 

Thanks to all of our panellists and guests for a fascinating series on the state of AI today. If you’d like to hear about future events first, sign up to our newsletter below.