Vlad Zamfirescu Ionut Bardasu - full presentation and Panel discussion at Peak IT

Presentation : The Lifecycle of AI Projects in the Enterprise
Enterprises are looking at AI as the main catalyst for their digital transformation journey and as such started allocating more resources to this focus area in recent years. Nevertheless, most AI projects never go past the conceptualization or PoC phases. Thus, it’s important to apply a holistic approach when it comes to conceptualizing, designing, implementing and scaling AI projects. In this presentation, we want to share with you our experience when it comes to the end-to-end lifecycle of implementing AI projects for enterprises.
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Panel Discussion: AI in the Wild: Benefits and Challenges of Implementing Real-World Use Cases
Even though AI has been around for a while, it still continues to amaze us by continuously expanding to new areas, and addressing increasingly complex challenges. However, AI algorithms and capabilities are not meant to be leveraged in a vacuum - they are meant to address real world challenges and deliver value through their application to tangible use cases. In this session, we want to share our knowledge and expertise related to applying AI to real-world challenges. As you will see, technology in general is just one component of many complex interacting parts in the overall value creation chain that are ultimately influenced and guided by people and processes when it comes to generating value through AI.
----------------------------------------- About Vlad and Ionut ----------------------------
Vlad is the Chief AI Architect EMEA for IBM Consulting and is part of the Global AI & Analytics Center of Competence (CoC).
The Global AI & Analytics CoC is the recognized leader for delivering solutions to clients across all industries and verticals. We combine the latest technologies with the technical depth of IBM and our extensive network of partners to design and implement innovative solutions for IBM clients.
In this global team that contains some of IBM’s biggest analytics experts, Vlad helps IBM clients break new ground using data science, machine learning, and cognitive computing technologies as a hands-on practitioner with multiple delivered projects for some of the biggest enterprises across different industries.
As Chief AI Architect EMEA, Vlad is directly responsible for providing technical leadership to international clients and IBM practitioners alike through the conceptualization and implementation of highly scalable reference architectures that leverage innovative methodologies and technical accelerators. Furthermore, he is actively contributing to the strategy, innovation, architecture, and code deliverables for the IBM Consulting Offerings and Methodologies that are leveraged by IBM clients globally to achieve their business and technical goals.
Ionut believes that by choosing to work within IT, you are in fact choosing to work in the most dynamic industry and you are building the next big thing. In IT, something is happening each and every moment and if you are not fascinated by the latest trends, you cannot succeed in the long journey.
He found his passion in Machine Learning while doing his MBA, and from that moment he knew that this is the “next great thing” and this is where he has to invest more and more.
So, he decided to conclude his MBA with a Thesis about how to introduce machine learning into the banking sector.
He thinks that we are seeing more and more developments in the AI world, and this will bring a lot of disturbance to every industry. AI is the future.
Since then, he coordinated and promoted AI implementations in the Financial Industry and worked with several partners to do his part for future mankind’s progress.
He also enjoys giving back what he learned along his journey and he is spending a lot of time coaching, mentoring, listening to colleagues, and understanding every situation, with the sole purpose of trying to add value and see how AI can help. There is no right or wrong approach and it is his belief that we can all learn something from each and every interaction.
He gets excited about new challenges where he can use his experience to build new cool things that can help him and the company in getting closer to customers by listening and acting on their behalf.