iTwin Developer Conference
Click here to watch recordings.
Hey everyone, it’s been a minute! We haven’t forgotten about you — things have, been, uh, a little crazy. How are you holding up these past two months? #2020needstoend
Good news though, we are back and super excited to tell you about our inaugural iTwin Developer Conference on November 4 and 5. Remember the JumpStart event from August? Well, DevCon is the next event the team has organized. We’ll be taking things to the next level.
Since we still can’t hangout IRL, let’s hangout virtually. We’ve brought in the best and the brightest to talk to us from their kitchen tables/home offices/remote island. (It’s not longer WFH, it’s work from anywhere! Am I right?)
Over two days, we’ll be joined by speakers from Hatch, FutureOn, Digital Construction Works, Siemens, Microsoft, vGIS, and many other companies. You do not want to miss what these folks have to say — I am especially excited about the iTwin - Azure Digital Twins partnership.
Keith Bentley kicks off the conference on Wednesday, November 3. I sat in on his dress rehearsal last week, and all I have got to say is #rockstar. It’s so fascinating to hear Keith’s thoughts on things. I’m not going to steal Keith’s thunder (you’ll have to tune on Wednesday for that) but I will say that if you haven’t already, you’ve got to take the time and embrace digital twins. More to come on this time topic next week.
In between Keith’s opener on Wednesday, and our closer on Thursday, we have some great presentations lined up for you. Our closing presenters will talk about the Practical Applications of Machine Learning. I caught up with two of the presenters, Kaustubh Page and Andre Villemaire to learn a little more about their session and talk about AI.
Here are some excerpts from our conversation.
AP: What will you talk about during the Practical Applications of Machine Learning session next week?
KP: We will be discussing how we are taking advantage of AI in building the digital twin and how AI will impact the entire digital twin lifecycle in the future. We’ll be showcasing multiple AI/ML based solutions which help in expediting digital twin creation along with increasing trust in the digital twin.
AP: What are two takeaways from this session?
KP: 1. Reimagine existing engineering workflows with AI/ML and 2. The opportunity to collaborate with Applied AI group extending AI tools built around iTwin
AP: Why should a developer care about AI/why is AI important to developers?
KP: AI enabled solution unlocks the true potential of a digital twin where developers will be able to put out solutions/workflows which get the most out of the data collected in different phases of the digital twin.
AV: Given the real challenges in setting up digital twins, many think that AI is one of the most important enablers of this new technology. AI is a new breed of tools in our analytical toolbox, allowing to unlock tremendous value — otherwise unattainable — for our users. Since the beginning of the transition to digital, a lot of data is being recorded, but only a small fraction has been exploited. With AI, we can now make use of this data and imagine better workflows and products.
AP: Are you excited or worried about the future of AI? Why?
KP: The future of AI enabled digital twin is super exciting. AI, assisting engineers in making better and faster decisions in the infrastructure lifecycle will revolutionize the concept of designing, operating, and maintaining large-scale assets.
AP: We are extremely excited about the future of AI. At the moment, and for many years to come, we believe that AI solutions will each be engineered for purpose to solve a specific problem. Developing valuable AI requires hard work, but the prospect to solve a previously unsolvable problem and unlock value for our users is the ultimate motivation for a team of engineers and developers. Also do not worry because AI/ML solutions are designed, developed and deployed in very controlled frameworks, there is no chance that these algorithms turn rogue and take over the world!
Thank you to Kaustubh and Andre for talking with me!
I’m relieved to know that I won’t have to worry about AI taking over the world, especially with all that’s happened in 2020. I’m not sure what I would do!
On that note, see you next week folks!
-Alexandria Phillips
