MEET OUR SPEAKERS
On the newly launched Build.AI Stage (13th of November 2024) top industry experts shared valuable best practices, offering clear guidance on leveraging AI to enhance application development or build AI solutions from the ground up.
Andrey Cheptsov
Founder & CEO
Andrey is the founder and CEO of dstack, a company that aims to rethink container orchestration for AI to radically simplify AI development through open-source. Andrey is passionate about open-source and developer productivity. Previously, Andrey worked at JetBrains. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: The power of open-source AI: why it matters now more than ever and how to harness It 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: In an era of rapid technological change, open-source AI has emerged as a driving force behind democratization in the field of AI. This talk will explore why open-source AI is more critical today than ever, highlighting the transformative potential it holds for businesses, developers, and society at large. We’ll delve into the real-world applications of open-source AI models, showcasing how they unlock opportunities for innovation. The session will also tackle key challenges, including privacy concerns, the need for greater control over data, and overcoming technical barriers such as efficient model training and deployment. Attendees will learn how to avoid vendor lock-in and how to harness the full potential of these models even with limited resources.
Danny Higler
Senior Digital Transformation Coach
Danny is a Senior Digital Transformation Coach with over two decades of experience in IT, having started in 1998. He is a leader in Agile, DevOps, AI integration, and organizational change. Specializing in AI-driven transformation strategies, Portfolio and Release Management, and fostering high-performing teams, Danny drives digital and cultural shifts. With his engineering background, he brings a systems-thinking approach to solving complex problems and aligning technological and cultural transformations with business goals. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: The Rise and Fall of AI Kingdoms: Lessons from the Agile Empire 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Step into medieval Romania as Danny Higler draws parallels between the rise and fall of empires and today’s AI revolution. In this insightful talk, Danny explores the overhype that led to Agile's downfall, offering crucial lessons to prevent AI from suffering the same fate. Through storytelling and real-world examples, attendees will gain strategies to balance AI with human expertise, ensuring sustainable, long-term integration. Discover how to lead teams through the AI revolution with purpose and clarity.
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Florin Soare
Technology Center Lead
Florin is the Technology Center Lead at Accenture Romania and has over two decades of experience. With a robust background spanning software development, engagement, program management and IT operations, Florin brings a wealth of expertise to the forefront of innovation and digital transformation. At Accenture, he works at the intersection of people and technology. He's devoted to empowering individuals to thrive in their careers. Champions a culture of inclusion and continuous learning, encouraging teams to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful change. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Opening Speech
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Cătălin Novac
Lead Architect & Technical Product Owner
Catalin is a proficient Technical Architect with over 13 years of experience in software engineering and machine learning. Currently serving as the Lead Architect and Technical Product Owner on multiple projects, he drives teams to shape and deliver various AI and Generative AI initiatives. In addition to his delivery role, Catalin leads the Machine Learning & AI capability at Accenture Advanced Technology Center, overseeing a team of more than 25 professionals. His leadership and expertise are instrumental in driving innovation and excellence in AI and machine learning projects. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Agentic AI and Multi-Agent System Dynamics 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Come along as we journey into the transformative world of agentic AI within multi-agent systems. We'll go deeper into how these advanced systems facilitate intelligent collaboration among “autonomous” agents, improving their ability to work together. We will also look at how traditional AI assistants have changed to dynamic, skilled agents. Uncover how these systems are reshaping the future of intelligent systems and their tangible applications in the real world. Seize this chance to catch a glimpse of the next wave of AI-driven innovation.
Miruna Paduraru
Software Engineer
I am Miruna. I have been working at Electronic Arts Romania for 3 years and in the video game industry for 10 years. I am passionate about Machine Learning/ AI, and this year, I finished my PhD in this field with a focus on reinforcement learning. In my free time, I enjoy running, hiking and playing my favorite game, The Sims. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Automating Camera Issues Detection in EA SPORTS FC Game using deep learning techniques 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Every year, content creators invest countless hours in meticulously adjusting the position and orientation of the cameras for each stadium in the FC project, which results in many slow iterations due to the very time-consuming process of testing all camera/stadium combinations after making changes. As content in the environment, such as new cameras, stadiums, crowds, and story modes, continues to evolve over the course of development and post-release updates, this task becomes even more challenging. The solution we propose is a groundbreaking pipeline that combines three advanced deep learning models with a computer vision approach: one model detects clipping issues, another evaluates visible objects, and a third estimates distances to check the camera's accuracy. This pipeline runs through every camera in every stadium we preset and triggers when a camera has an issue. Discover with us our innovative approach for the automatic detection of camera issues in the FC game!
Liviu Spiroiu
Software Development Team Lead & Scrum Master
Liviu is a software engineer with over a decade of experience in Java backend development and microservices architecture. He enjoys building reliable, efficient solutions and contributing to digital innovation. In addition to his technical background, Liviu values leadership and teamwork. He believes in the importance of Agile practices and is dedicated to helping teams achieve their goals. Liviu is also passionate about mentoring, finding joy in supporting others’ growth and development. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: LLM/AI Applications in The Land of Java: Virtual Threads, Vector Databases and Spring AI 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: This talk will explore how Virtual Threads, Vector Databases, and Spring AI come together to streamline AI/LLM backend development in Java. Learn how Virtual Threads enhance concurrency, while Vector Databases power data retrieval for LLMs. With Spring AI, you can easily integrate these elements, creating efficient and scalable AI applications. Join the talk to discover how these technologies enable out-of-the-box solutions for modern AI backend applications in Java.
Gabriela Radu
Secure by Design Expert
A geek at heart, Gabriela delivers agile cybersecurity for Cloud projects. She has 18 years' experience in telco&tech and adores a challenging cyber puzzle any day. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: The edges of AI in our threat landscape 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: When writing code in general, but especially when developing AI, security concerns should be a priority. So what are the issues of AI no one is talking about? And how could AI FAIL in glorious way? Or how it could succeed? Well, we did the math in py: AI_edge = func(human) + float('-inf')
Ștefan Costea
Business Protection Specialist
Passionate about sports and technology. Currently is part of “Future IT Leader” program for Leadership Development. Has 2 years of experience in Cyber Security (Vulnerability Management) and is active in various volunteering projects inside and outside the company. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: The edges of AI in our threat landscape 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: When writing code in general, but especially when developing AI, security concerns should be a priority. So what are the issues of AI no one is talking about? And how could AI FAIL in glorious way? Or how it could succeed? Well, we did the math in py: AI_edge = func(human) + float('-inf')
Victor Horescu
CEO
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿: I will use my 19 years of experience as a software tester, Quality Assurance consultant and my 14 years of expertise as senior trainer in order to support my customers in their effort to be more innovative while approaching the quality process and testing because I strongly believe that brain can be used for creation and machines for execution.