Ambarish Mitra is the co-founder and Co-Founder of Greyparrot AI, a company revolutionizing the recycling industry with AI-powered waste analytics. Previously, he founded Blippar, an augmented reality and AI firm. Mitra's journey led him to identify a critical gap in digitizing the waste stream, turning discarded materials into valuable assets. His work at Greyparrot aims to bring transparency and efficiency to a sector ripe for technological innovation, making recycling more impactful for the planet.
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Quotes from the episode
Everyone has mapped the consumption world... but post these $23 trillion of consumption, almost there was no digitization beyond that bin.
We call it waste. The word itself means no one cares. And we found that actually one of the reasons the waste remains waste because no one is doing enough digitally to value it and recover it.
We think of it as a material asset recovery company rather than a waste company.
Waymo doesn't make cars, Waymo makes existing cars into self-driving cars. We are making these plants into semi-automated plants by applying an intelligence to an existing mechanical.
The waste world... Lenses are dirty in the camera. In every way, it's opposite to retail. So keeping these parameters in mind, we had to build a model which is very tolerant to this environment.
AI fundamentally today, in anything, whether it's large language, it's an efficiency play. That means there needs to be some level of organized infrastructure to make it better.
What you’ll learn
Recognize waste streams using computer vision and material science for enhanced sorting efficiency.
Transition from visual search to applying AI for impactful, circular economy solutions.
Understand the "shadow economy" of waste and the opportunity in its digitization.
Implement robust, edge-focused AI architectures to overcome connectivity challenges in industrial settings.
Develop AI models tolerant to harsh environments like vibration and poor lighting conditions.
Partner with industry leaders to scale technology adoption within complex ecosystems.
Leverage data insights to help brands improve packaging design for better recyclability.
Drive industry change through a combination of manufacturer responsibility, government policy, and consumer choice.
Analyze global waste management trends, from developed to developing economies.
Takeaways
Greyparrot uses computer vision and AI to analyze 100% of waste flow, improving sorting efficiency in material recovery facilities.
The company’s origin lies in a previous venture focused on visual search, pivoting to waste management after realizing the vast untapped potential in digitizing the post-consumption economy.
Addressing waste requires a digital-first approach, treating materials as assets rather than liabilities to prevent value loss in landfills and oceans.
Greyparrot’s analyzer hardware processes data locally (on the edge) to ensure real-time operation despite potential network instability, a critical need in the waste industry.
Building a scalable AI solution requires hardware and software to work in tandem, prioritizing cost efficiency and environmental values, even using recyclable materials in their product.
The company decupled its software from specific hardware like GPUs to navigate supply chain challenges and ensure broader compatibility.
Greyparrot focuses on providing the "brain" for robotic sorting, enabling greater accuracy and efficiency by recognizing materials, while leaving mechanical aspects to specialized partners.
Customer acquisition involved initially offering free intelligence to waste management companies to build a comprehensive "mega model" and gather diverse data globally.
Strategic partnerships with major plant builders like Bollegraaf and Van Dyke Recycling Solutions have been key to scaling, disintermediating direct sales for greater market penetration.
The business is scaling rapidly, with hundreds of unit installations across ~65 plants in 21-22 countries, processing billions of data points annually.
In this episode, we cover
(00:01) Introduction to Ambarish Mitra and Greyparrot
(00:49) What Greyparrot is and the origin of the idea
(02:23) The evolution from AR to AI-powered waste management
(04:58) Shifting perspective: Treating waste as a material asset
(05:15) The product: How Grey Parrot's analyzer works
(09:57) Navigating architectural and industry-specific challenges
(12:46) Designing for efficiency and real-time processing in harsh environments
(15:39) Understanding "processing in camera" and hardware adaptability
(16:56) The role of AI and the "brain" in robotic sorting
(19:18) Real-time vs. post-processing data insights
(20:02) Providing intelligence to brands on their product recycling
(21:52) Customer acquisition and scaling strategies
(25:03) The importance of industry partnerships for growth
(28:07) Business scale: Plants supported, data processed, and waste saved
(30:01) Contrasting waste management across global markets
(32:45) The role of AI in developing economies with nascent infrastructure
(35:13) China's environmental turnaround and waste management systems
(37:03) Diversion of waste after China's import ban
(38:54) Consumerism, fast fashion, and material reuse
(39:57) Identifying best and worst performing countries in waste management
(42:31) The four components of a perfect circular economy movement
(42:44) Final thoughts on Grey Parrot's impact
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