World AI Summit

Published 07/06/2023 in Scholar Travel Stipend

Written by Gural Nuriyev | 07/06/2023

The World AI Summit in Montreal was an extraordinary event that exceeded my expectations in every way. As someone passionate about leveraging technology to address educational challenges, my main goal was to gain an understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) can shape the future of education. In this essay, I will share my personal insights and reflections from the Summit, while touching upon some exciting developments that caught my attention.

My Experience at the World AI Summit

1. Brushing up on AI Models: Diving deep into the mechanics of AI models felt like a breath of fresh air, especially given that my focus had been primarily on applied projects. The opportunity to engage with Professors conducting research and advancing the state of the art AI modeling and discuss various AI techniques and approaches was very much appreciated. This not only helped me remember my past learnings of AI model development, but also helped me understand what the next generation of AI models could look like and moreover, how they might function under the hood. Specifically, during a one-on-one discussion with a Professor of Computer Science at McGill University, we talked about her recent research. It concerned mapping images into the same vector space as text, thus enabling Large Language Models, the types of GPT and BERT to understand images as well as text. While this wouldn’t allow a model to generate both images and text, but only consume them, this is inching close to multi-modal generative AI. This, development is a key milestone in not only Computer Science research, but specifically in the prerequisites for the educational platform I aim to build. The core functionality of the platform involves translating educational content across modalities (text to image, video to 3-d objects in Augmented Reality, and more). The availability of multimodal generative AI is going to help students consume educational content the way that works for them, whether it is listening, reading, watching, or immersing in Augmented Reality. And hearing from AI research Professors that my expectations for multimodal AI are close to being realized was a good boost in confidence and a push to speed up the planning for the educational platform.
2. Engaging with Big Businesses: The Summit presented me with a unique opportunity to delve into the corporate world's perspectives on AI. I was able to witness firsthand how companies, each at varying stages of AI integration, grappled with the promises and challenges posed by these technologies. Their strategies painted an intriguing panorama of the current state of AI adoption in the business world.

Breaking it down, I discovered three distinct categories of companies. First, there were those already harnessing the power of AI in certain arenas where its benefits are clear and tested, such as computer vision and data analytics. They demonstrated successful integration of AI models into their operations, displaying how technology can streamline processes and drive business growth.

Next, there were companies that expressed curiosity and openness towards AI but had yet to take the leap. These businesses were exploring the potential advantages AI could offer them and seemed ready to benefit greatly from third-party AI solutions. Their interest underscored the increasing relevance and demand for AI in the corporate world.

Lastly, there were companies that faced technological barriers to immediate AI adoption. In many cases, these companies struggled with data management, a crucial prerequisite for implementing AI solutions effectively. Their challenges highlighted the need for robust data infrastructure in harnessing AI.

Each of these categories presented unique opportunities and challenges. Interestingly, it became clear that all could benefit from the recent advances in large AI models. The key, however, lies in understanding the specific needs and constraints of each company and tailoring AI solutions accordingly. This realization was a testament to the versatility of AI and its potential to drive change across diverse business contexts.

This experience gave me invaluable insights into how businesses perceive and use AI. More importantly, it emphasized the plethora of opportunities for collaboration and assistance that exist within the business spectrum. These interactions have broadened my understanding of the business-AI interface, which I believe will be instrumental in shaping the development and implementation of my AI-powered educational platform.

1. Discovering Innovative Start-ups: The Summit showcased the dynamism and creativity of the AI industry. I was particularly drawn to start-ups that demonstrated the versatility of AI across various industries. Examples included a blockchain based AWS, a tool for natural language search on text-based documents, and Healthmetryx, which predicts illnesses using breath data. These innovative approaches expanded my field of view when it comes to AI driven solutions. Moreover, some of them confirmed my knowledge on extending large language models to real life applications. Specifically, the start-up offering natural language analysis of documents held a talk on the challenges of combatting LLM hallucinations – a problem in which a model generates an answer that is not correct. Their approach to this problem involved using vector databases to provide ground truth, a solution I had just tested a few days before arriving to the Summit. This method of grounding an LLM model is useful for many applications of AI, and it can also be used in education. Specifically, a key part of the educational platform I envision is an AI system used to personalize the learning experience for each student. Should a student exhibit background knowledge of the subject of the course, the learning process can speed up, and should the student struggle with the material, the system will search for prerequisite material relevant to the student’s struggles. While a direct approach to this would involve generating the prerequisite educational material on the fly, by storing all available educational material in vector databases, the system will be able to search for existing relevant educational material instead of hallucinating it. Seeing that my approach to using vector databases to ground AI models was already successfully utilized by others was a good boost in confidence. 

Reflecting on the World AI Summit Experience

1. The Power of Networking: The networking opportunities at the Summit were unparalleled. The dialogue with industry experts and like-minded individuals fueled my creativity, provided potential avenues for collaboration, and solidified my understanding of the AI landscape. It reaffirmed my belief that networking is instrumental in growth, particularly in the fast-paced AI industry.
2. Embracing New Perspectives: The Summit underscored the importance of being open to different approaches and ideas. The multitude of perspectives offered by speakers and attendees enriched my understanding of AI's potential and prompted me to think creatively about my educational platform. This experience reaffirmed the importance of maintaining an open mind and embracing unconventional solutions.
3. The Advent of AI 3.0: Observing the rapid development of AI technologies at the Summit was truly mind-boggling. The pace of change in the field is such that today’s cutting-edge solutions could become obsolete tomorrow. With the rise of AI 3.0, characterized by the domination of large models like GPT and BERT, there is an exciting yet challenging shift in the AI landscape. This realization further fuels my motivation to stay ahead of the curve and leverage these advancements for my AI educational platform.
4. Staying Informed on AI Developments: The Summit served as a stark reminder of the importance of staying updated with the latest AI developments. In this rapidly evolving field, keeping abreast of new technologies, methodologies, and research findings is vital for remaining competitive and maximizing AI's potential for education.

Conclusion

The World AI Summit was an enlightening journey that reinforced my conviction to use AI as a tool to improve access to quality education. The Summit equipped me with a wealth of knowledge and a multitude of fresh ideas, setting the stage for the next phase of my work. The event was a treasure trove of learning, networking, and creative thinking. Each session, interaction, and demonstration left me more inspired and prepared to undertake the mission of creating a transformative AI-powered education platform.

While the Summit was an invaluable learning experience, it also served as a catalyst for introspection. It made me realize that while AI can indeed revolutionize education, the key to such a transformation lies in how we apply it. It is not just about creating new tools, but about understanding the intricacies of education, recognizing its challenges, and using AI to address these in a thoughtful, effective manner.

Moreover, the Summit demonstrated the importance of collaboration in our journey towards a more AI-driven world. The diverse array of companies, academics, and startups I interacted with showed me that while we might have different approaches and areas of focus, our collective goal is to leverage AI for the betterment of society. I am now more excited than ever to be part of this collective effort and look forward to collaborating with others in the field.

In summary, the World AI Summit has been a transformative experience that has expanded my understanding of AI, provided me with invaluable contacts, and reaffirmed my passion for AI in education. It has filled me with optimism and excitement about the future of AI in education, and I am eager to bring my learnings into practice. As I return to my work, I am energized and ready to utilize my enriched understanding and new ideas to create an impactful and innovative AI-powered educational platform. The journey towards that goal is a long one, but thanks to the World AI Summit, I am one step closer.