According to Forbes, global investments and expenditures by governments and businesses on artificial intelligence technologies are projected to exceed $500 billion in 2023. We spoke with Dmitrii Rykunov, an expert in AI development and neural network technologies, about how AI is becoming a part of the average person's life.
"Neural networks" is a term that characterized almost the entire past year, yet for many people, the principles of its operation remain a mystery. How challenging is it to be part of the development of these technologies? As an expert in AI, could you share how you became acquainted with neural networks?
In fact, my journey began when I was still a student, studying economics in my final year. At one point, I came across a recording of a seminar/lecture conducted by a researcher from Google at Yandex headquarters about their recent achievements in the field of image processing. The focus was on an image captioning model (generating textual descriptions of image content). It was my first introduction to the entire field of artificial intelligence, and it excited me because it just made sense. The technology seemed intuitive, and, more importantly, I had never thought before that something like this was actually already possible. At that moment, I decided for myself: "This is really fascinating, and I want to be a part of it." After that, I realized that it might be the most interesting field of study I had ever encountered. Over the next couple of weeks, I delved into more and more materials on contemporary AI research at that time, gaining determination to delve into it professionally. That became the beginning, and that's how I became, as you put it, "part of the development of these technologies."
A question, perhaps naive: How can AI be used?
AI applications are present in almost every sphere of society today. Software? Advertising? Design? Fashion? Medicine? These represent just a small fraction of countless examples, a drop in the ocean. Investments in AI technologies have long since become an integral part of the strategy for major global IT companies, including giants like Microsoft, Google, Yandex, Baidu, and Apple. While working at McKinsey, I began my journey as a Data Scientist and later transitioned to general consulting in the realm of digital technologies and analytics, continuing to focus on artificial intelligence topics. The demand for such services is high, as AI is now ubiquitous. Drawing from my experience, I have witnessed numerous examples. For instance, I once developed a solution for a major retailer, optimizing in-store product replenishment based on a predictive machine learning model, and coordinated its pilot project in one of the European countries. Large-scale grocery retail is indeed an industry where further development without AI is difficult.
Among my personal experiences in the industry was the development of a churn prevention system within a CVM (Customer Value Management) solution based on artificial intelligence. Here's how it works: if a business understands what a consumer wants, it can demonstrate that knowledge by making a unique personalized offer, gaining consumer loyalty in return. AI allows us to understand which products are most interesting to the customer with much greater precision than without it.
So, AI is not just about programming? The government, large businesses, and other serious clients become "clients" of AI. Drawing on your rich professional experience, could you share some examples of such requests?
Yes, indeed. AI extends beyond mere programming and is sought after by various entities, including governments, large businesses, and other serious clients. Drawing on my extensive professional experience, I can share some examples of such requests.
For instance, the financial industry has become a significant client. I worked with a large bank in Pakistan, developing a segment of their business strategy for launching a new digital division. A key aspect of this strategy involved providing users with unique capabilities based on advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. This example is illustrative but not unique. For the top management of a major Azerbaijani bank, I contributed to updating their CVM approach, incorporating AI-based solutions, and established a new analytical practice. More recently, I was involved in a company-wide learning initiative on artificial intelligence technologies and their significance for a leading life insurance provider in the US.
AI is also a necessity for modern software development. During a period of work on revamping a product strategy for a B2B software developer in the US, the integration of artificial intelligence technology in the products emerged as a core theme. I can confidently state that AI technologies have already become an integral part of our lives today and will continue to be so.
You have achieved significant results. What future do you see for yourself?
Primarily, I envision continuing to leverage my expertise to assist individuals in implementing end-to-end artificial intelligence solutions, spanning from strategic considerations to technical development and adoption. Additionally, during my free time, I am engaged in experimenting with personal virtual assistants based on generative artificial intelligence. These assistants are designed to adapt to users' communication preferences and proactively anticipate their needs.
