The real-world uses of open source artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, public services, national security and small business operations were the focus of a special briefing this week hosted by the California Foundation for Commerce and Education (CFCE) for state legislators and their staffs.
The CFCE brought experts in the field directly to the legislative policy makers for an information-packed, 90-minute discussion.
“It was a great educational opportunity to bring together renowned experts in artificial intelligence to discuss how AI is impacting and changing the fields of health care, national security, and small business,” said CFCE President Luis Quiñonez.
Legislators attending included Assemblymembers Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) and Patrick Ahrens (D-Sunnyvale), co-chairs of the California Technology and Innovation Caucus, and Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove).
Irwin commented, “The tools of artificial intelligence — once siloed within a few major labs or gated behind proprietary walls — are increasingly open, collaborative and accessible.”
Open source AI, Irwin said, is “enabling a broader range of developers, researchers and companies — large and small — to experiment, to build and to compete.”
Briefing Topics
The subjects covered at the May 20 briefing included:
- Driving Innovation and Competitiveness through Open Source AI.
- AI in Health Care.
Cameron Carlin, manager of data science for City of Hope, explained how his organization is using open source AI to help with real-time clinical decision support systems that improve patient care. - National Security Applications.
Cindy Gonzales, deputy director of the Data Science Institute at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, offered insights from her experience overseeing AI model capability assessments, including the Large Language Model Laboratory (LLML) project. She leads efforts to evaluate and adapt AI tools for government missions. - Empowering Small Businesses.
Dhruv Diddi, founder of Solo Tech, described his journey from Silicon Valley engineer to starting his own company — just one example of how AI is helping local enterprises scale and succeed. Diddi is advancing Physical AI Inference — offline, multilingual tools that empower underserved rural communities. His work is backed by Meta’s Llama Impact Grant and includes projects in agriculture, education, and health.
More to Come
Briefing participants were energized by the exchange of ideas and future possibilities.
“CFCE looks forward to hosting more briefings on a variety of topics to increase knowledge and dialogue on the various issues facing the fourth largest economy in the world — the state of California,” Quiñonez said.
Contact: Luis Quiñonez
