In a recent talk at Cypher 2023, Anitha Sivasubramanian, Head of Data Science and AI at InfoDesk, shared her insights on crafting enterprise-grade generative AI applications. The presentation was a comprehensive guide that emphasized the importance of understanding the mathematical foundations behind AI and machine learning models.
The Importance of Mathematics in AI
Anitha began her talk by sharing her personal journey in the field of AI, highlighting the critical role that understanding mathematics played in her career. She emphasized that skipping the basics of statistics and mathematics could lead to missing out on significant opportunities in the AI space. She urged the audience to focus on understanding the math behind the scenes, as it is the cornerstone of all AI and machine learning models.
Understanding Distributions and Metrics
Anitha discussed the importance of understanding distributions and metrics like cosine similarity, which are commonly used in conversational agents. She explained how these metrics operate on Bayesian principles, where prior knowledge is updated with new data to compute a new posterior. This understanding is crucial for anyone looking to delve deep into the world of AI.
Real-World Applications
Anitha also touched upon real-world applications of AI in quality control, predictive maintenance, and process optimization. She mentioned the use of vision analytics in quality control and inspection, and how AI has been beneficial in predictive maintenance by moving from traditional preventive maintenance to a more data-driven approach.
A Framework for Generative AI Applications
Towards the end of her talk, Anitha introduced a framework for building generative AI applications in enterprises. She encouraged the audience to apply this framework in their projects, stating that it would serve as a guiding star for building robust and scalable AI applications.
Conclusion
Anitha Sivasubramanian’s talk was a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the intricacies of AI and machine learning. Her emphasis on the importance of mathematical foundations serves as a crucial lesson for all aspiring data scientists and AI practitioners.