iAngels’ Shelly Hod Moyal talks about the ethics of artificial intelligence and where she sees the opportunities within a booming sector.

Israel-based iAngels is one of the world’s most significant venture capital and investment platforms. With $400 million AUM and 110 companies in its portfolio, it provides investors access to Israeli innovation. Here, Shelly Hod Moyal, founding partner of iAngels, talks to CampdenFB about where she sees the opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI), the need for government regulation and ponders advice for AI entrepreneurs.

AI is one of the most exciting fields for venture capitalists at the moment. What types of AI are exciting you at the moment?

Shelly Hod Moyal: At iAngels we’re excited about AI generally and the impact it has across so many industries, however it’s important to filter through the hype as many founders use the word “AI” just to add flair.

While every company could use AI in some part of their value proposition, we’re looking for teams that can disrupt markets in a profound way while maintaining a defensible barrier. This might be found in the following sectors:

• Exclusive access to proprietary data that fuels AI models creating a network effect, where the AI improves as more data is added. This makes it harder to replicate, even with access to more advanced AI models.
• Deep expertise in specific sectors like cybersecurity, fraud detection, healthcare diagnostics, and enterprise applications which can give a unique competitive edge. Specialised AI models that focus on these areas are likely to outperform more generalist models, making it difficult for competitors to keep up.
• AI infrastructure, such as DevOps tools, MLOps, and cloud infrastructure, that would serve underlying layers required to support the growth of the AI as a whole.
• AI applications which could democratise and automate business processes in ways that transform SMBs and consumer markets, leading to a real paradigm shift in how businesses operate.

What particular fields is iAngels looking at?

Shelly Hod Moyal: We’re primarily looking at…