Building in Mid-Air: 2024 In Review with Catherine McMillan and Noah Frank
Understatement of the year: 2024 was rife with uncertainty.
The generative AI boom kicked into high gear early this year. January alone saw OpenAI launch Custom GPTs, Google debut Gemini 2.0, and Microsoft’s rollout of CoPilot Pro. As the year unfolded, milestones like Apple Intelligence’s release, the EU’s historic AI Act, and advancements like o1 and Sonnet 3.5 pushed the boundaries of the possible. And yes, enterprise spending on generative AI surged, projected to reach $13.6 billion by year’s end—a 6x jump from 2023.
For us as co-founders, this timing felt daunting. Catherine had just returned from a Fulbright in Korea, while Noah left consulting for a fast-paced startup. Our paths were uncertain, as applied AI rapidly transformed work, business, education, and more. Yet amid the buzz, the unique challenges of young professionals navigating these shifts remained largely unaddressed.
This is where Aurix began—not with a detailed plan, but a shared belief: if we could support each other, we could help change the way the world approaches emerging technologies. We saw the need for frontier voices—especially those entering the workforce—to have a say in ensuring AI benefits were equitably shared.
In Boston, over coffee and whiteboards, we decided to act. This year, Aurix’s vision came to life through Aurora Insights, a platform amplifying emerging voices in AI research, governance, and strategy. From ethical AI frameworks to applications in healthcare and education, it’s become a hub for fresh perspectives.
Most importantly, we learned what it means to build in public.
A bit more on our name, for the curious.
/A Weightless Feeling: Building in Mid-Air
This year was a whirlwind of experiments for Aurix—some landed, others didn’t. “Building in mid-air” sums up our approach: sharing progress, challenges, and lessons before they’re polished, while keeping pace with an industry evolving at breakneck speed.
The stories you shared kept us energized. Contributions poured in from researchers across the globe—from the United States and the United Kingdom to Brazil and India, including insights on ethical AI applications in healthcare and innovative uses of AI in education. Together, we’ve tackled how emerging technologies are reshaping how we live, learn, and work.
We are proud of the small part we’ve played in making space for so many to be heard, and we’re even more excited about some exciting ideas we can share soon. ;)
/Looking to 2025
In the new year, we’re doubling down on growing Aurora Insights into a space with more curated resources available to readers. Based on your feedback, we’re specifically focused on creating more content streams and information hubs that will explore AI fundamentals and expand access to real opportunities in the field.
AI’s biggest challenges aren’t just technical—they’re human. Its impact depends on how it shapes lives and how we respond. At Aurix, we believe in centering creativity, connection, and inclusivity in solving these problems.
2025 promises to be pivotal for AI and emerging tech, and we’re thrilled to amplify perspectives from those shaping it on the ground.
/Our Sincere Thank You
We want to express a special thank you to our CTO-emeritus, Souvik Roy, for his invaluable contributions during a pivotal time. Your support and the continued collaboration between Aurix and AWR mean the world to us. We’re excited to build on this partnership in the new year.
We’re equally thrilled to welcome Jasmine Hasmatali to Aurix in our first dedicated Communications role. With a background in human rights and a newly minted LLM, Jasmine will help shape our communications strategy, focusing on amplifying emerging voices and crafting content that bridges the gap between complex AI issues and actionable insights.
And of course, we’d like to especially thank you: those of you out there who have liked, followed, shared, and kept in touch with our journey. You are the reason we started this project—to create the places and the spaces we wished we had when diving headfirst into this rewarding work. We believe everyone has a part to play in shaping the world of emerging technologies, and your engagement with us fuels that collective mission.
So, here’s to 2025—a year of growth, learning, and building together.
~ Noah Frank and Catherine McMillan, Aurix Co-Founders
