We Are Cortex | Tracey Cooley

Tracey Cooley has noticed a subtle shift in the way his customers ask about artificial intelligence.

As director of the Cortex-based Microsoft Innovation Lab—one of 40 such labs around the globe—he first talked to customers who were lightly poking around with a casual interest in the emerging technology. Only a few months later, “they're all looking to see how they can accelerate their adoption of AI so that they can be more effective in their business.”

And that’s not all. Customers are even starting to ask about quantum computing, an emerging technology that leverages the peculiar characteristics of subatomic physics to accelerate computing speed and power to an astonishing degree.

They’re the sort of conversations that fall at the heart of what the Microsoft Innovation Lab is all about: creating something of a sandbox for customers to learn, build, prototype and test new technology in the context of their own business.

“We bring together strong technical expertise and marry that up with our immersive experiences,” Cooley said. “We help them envision solutions, design architecture, and ultimately deploy."

And sitting in the heart of Cortex, a community known for attracting, fostering, and engaging with technology innovators, just makes Cooley’s job easier—and more fun. First of all, there’s the mix of old and new in the architecture throughout the District, everything from industrial-age telephone factories and old-timey automobile assembly plants right up to new construction.

“I think it just lends itself well to a thought-provoking area,” Cooley said. Sprinkle in a few events for startups and established businesses—all opportunities to spark ideas, cross-pollinate business ideas and forge friendships. Then, of course, there are the people and the companies that inhabit all those quirky, inspiring architectural wonders.

“It's a technical hub for St. Louis,” he said. “We get to see a lot of big companies here in town and startups that are getting off the ground. We get to interact with different levels of technology, and there's always something new and exciting happening here.”

Join us on Wednesday, November 4th for #WeAreCortex — a community celebration of the thinkers, builders, creators, and doers who are shaping the future of St. Louis and beyond. Free coffee and light breakfast will be provided – register to attend today!