This Week in Startups David Friedberg on AI-First Startups & the Future of Biology, Business & Creativity | AI Basics with Google Cloud
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May 22, 2025 
David Friedberg, CEO of Ohalo Genetics and co-host of the All-In Podcast, dives into the revolutionary impact of AI on agriculture and startups. He introduces 'Boosted Breeding' technology that promises to double crop yields. The conversation explores building AI-first companies and the possibilities of genome language models. Friedberg also discusses how AI democratizes creativity, enabling personalized storytelling experiences and paving the way for an 'Age of Abundance' in resources like food and energy.
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AI-Powered Hiring Efficiency
- David Friedberg's chief of staff used AI to write a Python script that scanned and scored hundreds of resumes in hours.
- This approach gave her incredible leverage to efficiently prioritize candidates, replacing a historically manual task.
Building an AI-First Company Culture
- Train all employees on AI tools by running workshops and hackathons focused on real business problems.
- Establish cultural norms like questioning headcount requests by asking why AI can't fulfill that role.
AI Revolutionizing Plant Breeding
- AI models can predict complex plant traits by analyzing combinations of genes to accelerate breeding.
- This predictive biology enables designing optimal DNA sequences for crops with desired features like drought resistance.
