Permutable AI CEO interview: Navigating the future as a pioneering market intelligence company

This year, Permutable AI turns four. But how did we take the spot as a burgeoning market intelligence company in such a short period of time? In this interview with Permutable AI CEO Wilson Chan, we’ll chart the course that has woven together innovation, strategic acumen, and a steadfast commitment to integrating AI with sustainable solutions. Starting with ambitious ventures in algorithmic trading, Permutable AI quickly expanded its horizons, mastering the art of turning data into actionable insights across industries. In its four year, Permutable AI has achieved a series of remarkable milestones.  Delve into the story of Permutable AI’s ascent as a market intelligence company and our strategic vision that continues to drive our growth.

Could you start by telling us about Permutable AI’s origins and its initial focus on algorithmic trading?

Permutable AI was conceived in 2020 with a clear vision to harness the power of AI in financial markets. Our initial focus on algorithmic trading was about bringing precision and predictive power to trading strategies, enabling faster, more accurate decisions in the financial sector. 

By integrating advanced AI algorithms, we sought to revolutionise the way financial data was interpreted and acted upon, aiming to grant traders and financial institutions the ability to execute decisions with greater speed and accuracy. This innovative approach promised to enhance the efficacy of market analysis, risk assessment, and investment strategy formulation, setting a new standard for excellence and efficiency in financial operations.

In 2021, Permutable AI expanded its services beyond trading. Can you elaborate on that transition?

That year was pivotal for us as a market intelligence company. We channelled our expertise into developing bespoke machine learning tools tailored for energy sector giants, leveraging our deep understanding of AI to address specific challenges within that domain.

This strategic expansion enabled us to not only comprehend but also intricately engage with the complexities and unique demands of various sectors, including the then burgeoning field of ESG data. As global consciousness around sustainability grew, we recognised the pressing need to quantify and analyse ESG factors.

We began to integrate ESG considerations into our data analysis models, allowing us to provide companies with critical insights into sustainable practices, green investments, and corporate social responsibility.

Moving into 2022, Permutable AI started developing its own search engine stack and GPT-3 based systems. What drove this development?

With the data explosion in the digital age, we saw the need for sophisticated search capabilities. Recognising this, we identified a critical need for advanced search capabilities capable of navigating and making sense of this vast digital landscape. In response, we embarked on the ambitious project of developing our proprietary search engine stack, designed from the ground up to manage and interrogate vast datasets with unparalleled efficiency and accuracy.

The creation of this search engine stack was a strategic move to empower our clients with the ability to swiftly sift through and process information, transforming raw data into actionable intelligence. This capability has become indispensable for companies looking to maintain a competitive edge in an information-saturated market.

To further enhance the potency of our data processing as a market intelligence company, we integrated systems based on the sophisticated GPT-3 model, marking a significant advancement in our natural language processing (NLP) abilities. This integration was pivotal, as it allowed us to refine the art of extracting nuanced insights from unstructured data — be it textual content from the web, financial reports, or social media feeds.

Our deployment of GPT-3 based systems meant that we could offer clients more than just information retrieval; we could provide them with a deep understanding of context, sentiment, and the subtleties of language that are often lost in traditional data analysis. This has been instrumental in enabling our clients to not only comprehend the information at their disposal but also to predict trends, gauge public sentiment, and make well-informed decisions that are rooted in a thorough analysis of the available data.

That same year, Permutable AI was named a top 100 AI fintech company. What do you believe contributed to this recognition?

Our journey at Permutable AI has always been underpinned by a steadfast commitment to innovation and the delivery of actionable market intelligence that empowers decision-makers. This ethos was vividly illustrated when our market sentiment reports not only achieved a significant milestone by breaking into the top 10 entries on Google but also set a new standard for the industry in decoding the intricacies of market dynamics. This achievement highlighted  our expertise in harnessing complex algorithms and AI technologies to distil vast amounts of data into coherent, insightful analyses that navigate the ebbs and flows of market sentiment with precision.

Beyond our work in the financial markets as a market intelligence company, our collaboration with the UK government on carbon emissions predictions highlighted our broader vision of leveraging AI for the benefit of society and the environment. This initiative exemplified our dedication to marrying technological prowess with environmental stewardship. By applying our AI capabilities to better predict carbon emissions where data was missing , we aimed not only to contribute valuable insights for policy and decision-making but also to underscore the critical role of AI in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including climate change.

This dual focus on delivering cutting-edge solutions as a market intelligence company and contributing to societal well-being reflects the core of what we stand for at Permutable AI. It’s not just about advancing technology for its own sake or simply to gain a competitive edge but about applying these advancements in ways that drive positive change, enhance understanding, and foster a more sustainable and informed world. Our work in both market sentiment analysis and carbon data is a testament to our belief in the power of AI to make a meaningful difference, not just in the boardroom, but in the broader context of global challenges.

How has Permutable AI maintained its momentum into 2023, particularly with your award as the top ESG data provider?

Being named the top ESG data provider was a significant validation of our efforts. Our journey to this point has been characterized by a deliberate strategy to fuse AI innovation with ESG principles, creating solutions that empower businesses to make decisions that are not only profitable but also beneficial to society and the environment. This holistic approach has involved rigorous research, development of advanced analytics, and the cultivation of a culture that sees beyond the bottom line to the broader impact of our actions.

The award as the top ESG data provider underscored our role as pioneers in the field, setting new standards for how technology companies should operate in an increasingly sustainability-focused world. It reflected our commitment to providing our clients with data and insights that enable them to navigate the complexities of sustainable investment, regulatory compliance, and corporate responsibility with unparalleled precision and insight.

Additionally, this recognition has propelled us to further innovate and expand our suite of services as a market intelligence company, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of the industry not just in terms of technological capability, but also in our contribution to shaping a more sustainable future. Our aim is to continue driving forward, leveraging our AI expertise to unlock new possibilities for responsible business practices and to champion the cause of sustainable growth in every project we undertake.

Looking ahead to 2024, you have goals to be the leading company entity tracker. How does Permutable AI plan to achieve this?

Our mission to be the leading market intelligence company in entity tracking is ambitious, but we have laid the groundwork to make it a reality. The foundation for achieving this pinnacle of market intelligence has been meticulously set through a series of calculated steps and technological advancements.

Central to our strategy as a market intelligence company is the scalability of our systems. By enhancing our infrastructure, we are ensuring that our technology can handle an increasing volume of data without compromising on speed or accuracy. This scalability is crucial as we aim to monitor and analyse data from over 1.1 million companies globally, providing our clients with unparalleled insights into market movements, trends, and opportunities.

Moreover, the development and deployment of custom-built large language models represent a significant leap forward in our ability to process and interpret vast amounts of unstructured data. These models, tailored to the specific needs of entity tracking, employ advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques to sift through news articles, financial reports, social media posts, and more, extracting relevant information and actionable insights.

This approach not only enhances our tracking capabilities but also introduces a new level of efficiency and innovation to our services. By automating aspects of systematic trading, we can provide our clients with faster, more accurate predictions and analyses, helping them to stay ahead in the fast-paced world of finance and investment.

Furthermore, our commitment to innovation extends beyond just technology. We are constantly exploring new methodologies, data sources, and analytical techniques to refine our entity tracking services. Collaborating with industry experts, academic institutions, and technology partners allows us to stay at the cutting edge of AI and market intelligence.

In achieving our goal to be the leading market intelligence company in entity tracking Permutable AI is not just aiming for technological superiority. We are striving to create a comprehensive ecosystem where accurate, timely, and actionable intelligence is accessible to our clients, empowering them to make informed decisions with confidence. This vision drives every innovation, partnership, and strategic decision at Permutable AI, guiding us towards our ambitious future.

Could you tell us more about your proprietary carbon tracking engine?

Certainly. Our proprietary carbon tracking engine is at the forefront of Permutable AI’s sustainability initiatives. Recognizing the urgent need for actionable environmental stewardship, we crafted this innovative solution to empower organizations in their pursuit of sustainability. This engine leverages state-of-the-art AI to provide precise and comprehensive carbon footprint assessments, enabling businesses to identify and quantify their environmental impact across various operations.

The uniqueness of our carbon tracking engine lies in its ability to amalgamate and analyze data from a myriad of sources, including direct emissions data, energy usage, supply chain logistics, and even indirect sources such as business travel and office activities. By providing a holistic view of a company’s carbon footprint, we enable informed decision-making that can lead to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  Our engine is designed to be user-friendly, offering clear, actionable insights that companies can use to develop targeted strategies for reducing their carbon footprint.

In addition to its practical applications, our carbon tracking engine represents a tangible manifestation of our belief that technology can and should be a force for good. By assisting companies in aligning with global sustainability targets, such as those outlined in the Paris Agreement, we’re not just aiding individual businesses; we’re contributing to a collective effort to mitigate the effects of climate change on a global scale. As we move forward, we’re excited about the potential of our carbon tracking engine to drive meaningful change, supporting companies worldwide in their transition to greener, more sustainable practices

Finally, what does the future hold for Permutable AI as a leading market intelligence company?

Looking back, it’s clear that we’ve embarked on a journey that’s as transformative as it is ambitious as a market intelligence company. As we look ahead, Permutable AI is committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with artificial intelligence. We envision a world where AI is not only a tool for business optimization but also a catalyst for positive global change. Our ongoing and future projects are designed to harness the power of AI to unlock new levels of efficiency, uncover deep insights, and drive sustainable practices across industries.

As an ambitious market intelligence company, we are expanding our capabilities to provide even more nuanced and predictive analyses. By leveraging cutting-edge machine learning algorithms and natural language processing techniques, we aim to offer our clients a competitive edge that’s rooted in a deep understanding of market dynamics and consumer behaviours.

Sustainability and using AI for good remains at the core of our mission. Permutable AI is actively developing technologies that enable businesses to measure, manage, and mitigate their environmental impact. Our goal is to provide actionable solutions that help companies transition to greener operations, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change and promote environmental stewardship.

Collaboration is key to our approach as a market intelligence company. We are fostering partnerships with industry leaders to co-create solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges facing society today. By working together, we believe we can accelerate the adoption of AI in ways that are both ethical and beneficial for humanity.

The future of Permutable AI as a leading market intelligence company is one of continual growth and relentless innovation. We are not just aiming to lead in the field of AI; we are striving to redefine its role in building a sustainable and prosperous future for all. It’s a vision that motivates us to explore, innovate, and contribute to a world where technology and sustainability go hand in hand.