This year I did not speak a lot. No conferences, no social media, and very little blogging. So the question is: What was I doing? Well, if it isn’t obvious yet, I was paying attention; I was all 👂, but mostly, I made major progress on my PhD research.
To sum up this past 12 months of painful examinations (more on that in an upcoming post) and self-assessment, let me list a few of the major things I got done:
✅ Spent more time with my son
✅ Fulfilled some PhD requirements
✅ Started a book series (more on that in the future)
✅ Re-branded my company (iBelmopan)
✅ Wrote 6 research papers (1 rejected, 3 accepted, and 2 pending)
But I am not here to talk about boring research life. I am here to discuss business and what’s on the horizon.
The great thing about listening
You see, even though I was only paying attention and kept hidden (or quiet) from the world, plenty was accomplished. The beauty of listening is that you get to hear the world very loud and clear. For instance, matters like the recent debate of a potential AI doomsday; Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, world tech leaders, seem to have different opinions on the topic. But why? Is this a good thing? These are serious questions that need to be answered in a more transparent and objective way. With all this in mind, I started to think about how I can contribute to the conversation and encourage others to participate as well. That’s the basis of my next project.
My next project — DAIR
My next project is called DAIR. Not PAIR (People+AI Research Initiative), or FAIR (Facebook AI Research). DAIR stands for Diverse Artificial Intelligence Research, but it is pronounced as “dare.” In other words, it is a “daring” initiative to communicate about Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in a more transparent way — the present landscape, the culture, the art of it, the future, and its people. It’s all about them and not only about the technology. Have you ever heard about Human + AI intelligence?
Sadly, I must keep the details short for now since the official release statement is scheduled for early next month (mid August). But if you want to know more about this initiative you can subscribe here or shoot an email to hello@ibelmopan.com or dairtoday@gmail.com. We will be more than happy to provide a follow up.
Here are a few things to expect from the DAIR initiative:
☑️ Transparent AI and data science communication for all. AI communication for entry level, for expert level, for the underrepresented, for diverse cultures, for engineers, for managers... Basically, AI for everyone.
☑️ AI in culture and news (trends, research opportunities, the future of AI, emerging leaders, etc…)
☑️ Friendly and Diverse AI and data science communication.
It’s that simple! We are aiming for diversity, so here is a first look at our logo (suggestions are welcome):
Also, we have setup some social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, GitHub) for you to easily get in touch with us.
