Intense weekend
This past weekend was an intense one with achievements and reunions.
π On Friday, I received amazing news: my first paper during my PhD has been accepted! It is a workshop paper (work in progress to extend it to a journal paper). I can't wait to share more once it's published at the end of May.
π€ On Saturday, I gave a presentation at an interdisciplinary conference called "XXVIII. Bolyai Konferencia" about "AI & NLP: The Rise of LLMs" at the college I attended in Hungary. It was an exciting experience to discuss this topic with fellow experts. The abstract for my presentation can be found here.
π€ It was also fun to reconnect with old friends and colleagues, reflecting on our journeys and the vibrant community we're part of.
Grateful for these experiences and the community that makes them possible.
Published: 10 APR 2024Zero-shot learning
I've been exploring a cool concept in AI called zero-shot learning. π§ It's about AI making educated guesses for tasks it's never been explicitly trained on.
Here's an example: If you teach a child about different fruits using pictures, and then you show them a starfruit they've never seen, they might guess it's a fruit based on what they know about other fruits, colours, shapes, textures, etc. πβ‘οΈππ In the same way, zero-shot learning helps AI make smart guesses about new things by using what it's learned before.
This method is handy because itβs impossible to provide AI with examples of everything. It also explains how LLMs can give pretty good answers to questions about topics they haven't seen before and DALLΒ·E can create images about things that never existed. π€π
I asked ChatGPT4 to show me how it imagines zero-shot learning. This is the image it created and the answer it gave: βHere is an abstract representation of zero-shot learning as I imagine it. The image visually interprets the concept of AI connecting known and unknown elements, reflecting how it makes educated guesses in new situations.β Pretty cool, isn't it?
The paper that introduced zero-shot learning is "Zero-Shot Learning with Semantic Output Codes" published in 2009. π Full paper here.
Published: 18 MAR 2024Funny names in tech π
I want to take a moment to appreciate the hilarious humour of developers and all the funny names they give to different projects. I had a meeting with my supervisor yesterday, and we talked about croissants, soups and ducks, none of them in the sense that you would think. Here's a short list of some of my favourite names in tech, but there's a lot, lot more.
P.S.: I need to admit GhatGPT came up with the taglines, but I think it did a pretty good job π
Published: 14 MAR 2024Congratulations to my friend Γgoston π
π Congratulations to my friend Γgoston Sipos on his PhD Defense in "Implicit Surface Patches in 3D Geometric Modeling" π
Γgoston has today successfully defended his hashtag#phdthesis! Sadly, I couldnβt be there in person, but heard he absolutely aced it. π―Iβve known Agoston forever, and on this special occasion, I want to highlight a few of my favourite moments together:
- Going back to our Bolyai college days, I remember him giving us the lecture we had questions about. I might not have nailed it then, but I ended up teaching the subject a few years later! π€
- Through COVID time, we had video calls for days. You witnessed my endless chatter, even through the chaos of my bachelorβs thesis writing and defence at the time. π
- Who could forget our biking misadventure around Lake Balaton? We skipped the sunscreen and turned our hashtag#ffffff shade into a brilliant hashtag#ff0000. π΄ββοΈβοΈ
- And that night you explained Turing machines to me until midnight, just so I could confidently teach the class the following day. ππ¨βπ«
This list could go on and on, but what I am trying to say is that I know that as colleagues our career is a significant part of our lives, but more importantly, I'm grateful to have you as a friend. Iβm super proud of you and I cannot wait to see your next achievements.
Published: 29 JAN 2024π Reflecting on 2023 π±
2023 was an eventful year for me filled with lessons and growth. I always start with some goals, but it's fascinating to see how they evolve throughout the year. Reflecting on these changes is something I find valuable:
- Research π: I began the year working on a research paper, which unfortunately was rejected. This was a challenging yet insightful experience. It fueled my passion for research, leading me to start a phd position. The feedback I received is now the foundation of my PhD work.
- Language Learning π: Living in Zurich without speaking German, I finally started learning it, reaching nearly B1. This inspired me to rekindle my love for languages, and I resumed Spanish lessons too.
- Marathon πββοΈ: Running has been a significant part of my life. Running my first marathon in Amsterdam was a dream come true. It taught me that with commitment, discipline and hard work, everything is possible.
- Teaching π¨βπ«: Participating as a teacher in bootcamps and workshops has become an important part of my life. Engaging with people who are eager to change their career paths or elevate their technical skills has been a source of motivation.
- Investments πΌ: Iβve always enjoyed math and numbers, leading me to invest early in my career. This year, I ventured into real estate investment, adding an exciting new dimension to my financial journey.
- Ups and Downs π: Alongside the ups, 2023 also brought some downs. I realized again that I can't do everything, and this made me miss some work goals I had. On a personal note, I also faced some tough times. Ending a long-term relationship was difficult. Losing my wallet with all my essentials soon after didn't help. But I've learned to be more resilient and adaptable.
As I move into the new year, I have plenty of plans again, but I'm keeping it flexible. I am excited to see where 2024 will take me.
Wishing you all an awesome 2024! ππ
P.S.: If you haven't yet, take a quick look back at your 2023 β it's worth it.
Published: 11 JAN 2024Goodbye to Le Wagon Zurich! πππ
Last week, we had our last DemoDay at Le Wagon Zurich. A big shout-out to all the students who graduated β you guys did great! ππ©βππ¨βπ
My journey as a teacher at LW Zurich began a little over a year ago. I had the opportunity to be part of the teaching crew for five batches β 3 in data science and 2 in web development. π₯οΈπ It has been an amazing ride, full of learning and connecting with so many amazing people. ππ₯
As a data scientist myself, Iβm always truly impressed by what the participants can come up with in just 2 project weeks at the end of the bootcamp. This time there was only one data science project done by our talented participants: Alex, Tanushri, David and Felipe. They created a real-time audio translator from Bengali to English and vice versa. Their project is called BhashaBridge and can be found here. ππ
Big thanks to Alicia, our city manager, and Sara, who organized all our events. You both did so much to make Le Wagon such a great place and it really made a difference for all of us. ππ
I had the wonderful opportunity to teach several workshops organized by Sara, and it was an outstanding experience. Collaborating with Sara and engaging with all the participants was amazing. I hope that everyone who attended these workshops was able to take away some valuable knowledge and skills. π‘π
I wish everyone the very best. Even though we're going in different directions, I hope our paths will meet again soon. π€οΈπ«
Published: 12 DEC 2023I attended my 3rd Startup Weekend Switzerland last weekend π
I got to work with some cool people: Shanelle, AurΓ©lien and Oleg (and Michael who randomly bumped into our team pic πΈ). We devised this idea called GuideME β an AI-powered mental health coach π§ π‘.
During our customer validation process, we noticed a lot of need and interest in using AI for mental health coaching, but some were hesitant about opening up to an AI π€β. I'm convinced that AI can significantly aid those dealing with stress or anxiety, especially as a stopgap solution until they can consult a professional. This is particularly relevant considering that the demand for mental health support far exceeds the available resources.
Huge thanks to everyone for a great time and to Erik for the pic! π
Published: 27 NOV 2023