Houston as an AI Superpower: Inside the Rice Nexus Approach to AI Startups

Dr. Sanjoy Paul joins Maggie Welsh to break down what it really takes to move AI from research to real‑world deployment. He shares how Rice Nexus evaluates new AI startups, why the biggest failures come from people—not technology—and how guardrails and security need to be part of every stage of development. Dr. Paul also explains the changing landscape of AI research funding and why Houston’s deep domain expertise positions it as a rising AI powerhouse.