A new AI tool ‘Oumi’ was launched last month, created by Greek-educated scientists Manos Koukoumides, Panos Achlioptas, and Konstantínos Aísopos.
The trio have designed a tool to help users create and use AI more easily, with a goal to make AI development more accessible for everyone.
Despite studying their undergraduate degrees in Greece, Manos, Panos and Kostas now live in the US — they call in to the Neos Kosmos office from Palo Alto in California.
Manos and Kostas pursued their PhD’s together at Princeton University, and the pair knew Panos from back in Greece. Manos says they “knew him by reputation, and reached out for a discussion. That’s when we decided to work together.” The co-founders have an impressive resume, working at companies like Google and Meta before striking out on their own this year to found Oumi.
Manos reflects on the adjustment from Athens to Princeton, incredulous that the armchairs in the computer science lab were more expensive than the actual computers they used for their classes back in Greece.
Despite the limited resources back at home, Manos says his Greek education prepared him very well, and believes Greek institutions still matter.
“In Greece in particular, the spirit and the philosophy behind education is well respected by the people, and we regard education as a very serious endeavor. My hope, in the future, is that the system will be able to absorb good scientists and help them to shape elements of society.”
“You also have to recognise that universities in Greece are very underfunded,” Kostas adds. Panos says Oumi is looking at expanding, and would like to open an office in Greece. “Since we started our education in Greece, we would like to employ people there who have the right skill-set to join us.”
The co-founders have launched Oumi because they’re worried about the current status quo of frontier AI, with industry labs becoming “extremely secretive”, explains Manos.
“It’s becoming harder and harder for institutions to be able to contribute to frontier AI. It’s very problematic. It’s also about the fact that this important technology, and is now being controlled by a handful of volunteers — it’s about that concentration of power.”
On the important role of AI, Manos says it’s a critical technology that powers not only the tech industry, but also contributes to climate science and material science and healthcare. Panos is inspired by what he says is Oumi’s noble vision, in wanting to provide the world access to AI that is made by the people, for the people.
Manos shares that the most rewarding part of opening the company has been “having the opportunity not just to work on the AI problem, but to do it with the best colleagues and greatest friends.”
