Exploring the Future with Generative AI at AWS Summit Amsterdam 2024
From Rural Roots to Urban Insights, my journey into the World of Generative AI
Disclaimer : I also publish this article on my personal blog that I hosted in Amazon S3 with CI/CD using AWS CodeCommit and AWS CodePipeline.
On April 9, 2024, I had the opportunity to attend the AWS Summit Amsterdam. Being able to attend in person was something I had been looking forward to. Considering I used to live in a district in Indonesia, 902 km away from Jakarta, I had never been to an in-person AWS Summit over 3 years. So, you can imagine how excited I was to attend the AWS Summit Amsterdam this time! * After we moved to the Netherlands since last year.
I got ready early at 6:30 am. Before leaving, I had my predawn meal (suhoor) since during daylight hours, as a Muslim, I refrain from eating and drinking due to Ramadan fasting, which lasted 15.5 hours that day, coincidentally that day being the last day of fasting.
I made my way to the nearest metro station. From there, I took the NS Sprinter train. The journey took 40 minutes covering a distance of 72 km. Upon arrival at Schiphol Amsterdam, I took another train and arrived at the RAI station. It was just a few meters walk to the venue at RAI Amsterdam.
I enjoyed walking alone; my first time going to Amsterdam alone reminded me of my childhood in the village. I grew up in a village near Mount Argopuro, where our house had bamboo walls, making it chilly whenever the wind blew. Our floors were made of hardened clay. While it might seem like poverty to some, to me, as a child, it was a luxury. Exploring and experimenting without boundaries in the village was my delight. Since a young age, perhaps around 3 years old, I enjoyed wandering alone in the forest, along the rice field embankments or by the river. My parents allowed me to be independent as both of them worked full-time as civil servants. Hence, I became accustomed to finding my way and knowing the route back home, even when walking long distances without GPS (there were no smartphones back then haha). This experience makes me happy when walking alone, although now I have a husband and child, because it reminds me of a fearless childhood where there was no other choice. Going to Amsterdam, with the guidance of highly sophisticated phones and GPS, made it easier for me to get around. Thanks, technology.
At the venue, I needed to show identification, and then I received a paper card with my name, company, and a QR code. The QR code would be scanned for entry into each agenda/booths. On the back of the card were the WiFi password and instructions to install an app (AWS Events) to know what events were happening.
Inside the RAI Amsterdam, there were several rooms. On the left side was a very large room containing many company booths, AWS Community areas, catering, and more. At the front was a very large room with hundreds of seats and a large screen, where keynote speakers would address the audience.
Initially, I visited the booths. Here, as an introvert, I suddenly became an extrovert in pursuit of information about the companies while also snagging many “goodies,” as shown in the photos.
Later, around 9:45 am, people started gathering in the main hall. I walked slowly because there were so many people. The hall was vast (and dark), but not to worry, there were many crew members to help direct participants to their seats. Initially, I wanted to sit near the screen on the right side, possibly in the front row, but it seemed that viewing the screen and the speakers from there would be at an angle. So, I chose to sit in the middle, as it was far more comfortable than being on the edges. Tip: when entering the main hall, choose seats in the front and middle.
What I remember is the main speaker, Becky Weiss, an AWS VP, talking extensively about Generative AI. If I recall correctly, there were 4 main levels along with the services that could be explored on AWS. Generative AI is a type of AI that can generate content, not just text, but also images, videos, music, etc.
Though I’m brand new to Generative AI and didn’t know much about it before this talk, my curiosity grew. Is it possible that in the future, jobs like engineering will be replaced by so-called AI, or companies won’t need to hire fresh graduated who may not understand much, opting instead to use models to optimize knowledge and various types?
As a graduate of physics with a bachelor’s and master’s, I’m excited about whether AI can create new formulas or new theories that may not be empirical… Hmm… This discussion becomes more interesting because, in a letter to Robert Hooke in 1675, Isaac Newton made his most famous statement: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” This phrase symbolizes scientific (or other) progress. And imagined standing on the shoulders of giants and they are AI?
Too interesting! To the point that when the AWS VP finished explaining, I went to meet her directly. I’m always afraid to greet others first, but this time I tried to be brave. I met Becky and introduced myself and thanked her for her presentation. She replied, “What magic will you create?” That super short (and without a photo) conversation left a deep impression on me. Honestly, I’m still grasping the concept of Generative AI.
Then, I met my friend near the AWS Community booth. Here, we discussed which event to attend while opening the AWS event app. How about attending Event A? I found this part very interesting; not only were the presentations captivating, but I also began to understand a little bit about Generative AI. Basil Fateen, Principal Startup Advocate AWS and Jos Polfliet, CTO, Metamaze, who were speakers, did an excellent job explaining Generative AI, using the iceberg assumption to determine which level we are at. Imagine yourself as the CEO and imagine AI as its co-founder. Then, it continued: how do you “train” the prompt?
Then my friend and I went to the AWS Community booths. Imagine how delighted I was to meet directly with AWS Community Builders, AWS Heroes, and AWS User Group members, where we’ve been contributing directly to the AWS Community for several years now. We come from different backgrounds, originating from various countries, but we can all create work with our unique characteristics. Amazing, isn’t it? Let’s capture the memory of that day by looking at our photo together. It’s a wonderful way to cherish the moment!
At 6:00 PM, I departed from the summit, despite feeling exhausted after a long day of learning and meeting new people, but more so filled with a determination to delve deeper into Generative AI and envision the significant changes in future technology trends. As I made my way home, I carried with me a multitude of profound impressions.
As a beginner learning AWS directly using its main services, this time I want to experiment with Generative AI. But before that, maybe you all want to try learning about it together with me:
- Visit www.awseducate.com
- Choose Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence
- Complete the course in about 0.75 hours
- What kind of magic do you want to create?
Here’s one of the slides in the Introduction to Generative AI course:
Eager to learn? Go ahead and give it a try!
Nova Lailatul Rizkiyah
