I had a couple questions I had wanted to ask Tom Siebel ever since his company, C3.ai (ticker "AI") went public in December of 2020. When I finally get my chance, I have to wait a moment, because Siebel is irrepressible. He often has the advantage on a reporter, leading with a kind of gusto that eclipses the standard question and answer protocol. "I had an epiphany this week," Siebel tells me, over a Greek coffee at a Greek joint in midtown Manhattan, Friday afternoon. Siebel, in the course of meeting with investors in New York and Boston this week, including Fidelity, has had reason to crystallize his thoughts about what artificial intelligence means, at least for his company and his customers. It is a good time to go on the road. At a recent stock price of $24.24, C3.ai shares are down sixty-five percent in the past year, twenty-two percent this year, and seventy-four percent since the IPO. And the entire software market is somewhat in the toilet as valuations are revised across the board.

The collaboration will focus on creating and deploying Baker Hughes IAM solutions that use digital technologies to help improve the safety, efficiency, and emissions profile of industrial machines, field equipment, and other physical assets. Applying their individual strengths, the four companies will collaborate on Baker Hughes IAM capabilities that help optimize plant equipment, operational processes, and business operations through improved uptime, increased operational flexibility, capital planning, and energy efficiency management. The solutions will be designed for industries including oil and gas; renewable energy and thermal power generation; metals and mining; chemicals; and pulp and paper. Baker Hughes, C3 AI, Accenture and Microsoft will also explore collaborating on solutions that help achieve net-zero carbon emissions and decarbonize energy and industrial sectors, including emissions management. "This collaboration accelerates our growth strategy to provide differentiated IAM solutions that enhance our customer's industrial operations by optimizing the performance of industrial equipment and processes," said Lorenzo Simonelli, Baker Hughes chairman and CEO.