Thanks to the rise of ChatGPT, generative AI is being integrated into products by companies worldwide. However, Vikram Chatterji of Galileo believes that one major obstacle to fully embracing AI is the uncertainty of how well these tools will perform once they are deployed. Galileo, a startup specializing in evaluating AI models, works with clients such as Hewlett Packard, Comcast, and Twilio to ensure the accuracy and security of their AI tools. The company recently announced a $45 million Series B funding round, bringing its total investment to $68 million since its inception three years ago.
Galileo offers four main products: Fine Tune, Evaluate, Observe, and Protect. These tools help companies train and test their AI models, ensuring they are not giving inaccurate responses or leaking sensitive information. In July, Galileo introduced Luna, its own language model designed to assess the performance of other models in areas such as data privacy and bias detection. This release comes at a time when companies are racing to enhance their AI offerings, while also grappling with the potential pitfalls of AI models making errors or leaking confidential information.
Chatterji, along with co-founder Yash Sheth, both former Google employees, bring valuable experience in AI product management and engineering to Galileo. Atindriyo Sanyal, another co-founder and the company’s CTO, has held senior engineering roles at companies like Uber and Apple. The company’s latest funding round was led by Scale Venture Partners, with participation from Premji Invest and other investors. Andy Vitus, a partner at Scale Venture Partners, emphasized the importance of evaluation tools for corporations as AI models become more integrated into various aspects of business operations.
HP, one of Galileo’s clients, uses the startup’s services internally for its AI tools, as well as offering it to customers through HP’s AI Studio subscription suite. While Galileo’s $45 million funding round may seem modest compared to other recent AI funding announcements, the company’s focus on developing sustainable AI evaluation tools sets it apart. Chatterji stressed the importance of operating efficiently and only raising the necessary amount of capital for building a long-term business. With the increasing reliance on AI in various industries, the need for robust evaluation tools like those offered by Galileo will become even more critical in ensuring the reliability and security of AI models.
