Q: What advice would you give to aspiring AI researchers or entrepreneurs looking to make a significant impact in the field?

A: I think that if you work long enough in AI, you'll see common problems that you and other people have. For example, you struggle to find high-quality datasets, or you're not sure about how to process data for a use case. You might think that some important skills are not properly captured in benchmarks, or that some routine processes could be automated. Then, the way you solve these problems depends on your background: if you're a researcher, you might want to explore new algorithms. If you're a software engineer, you can make a killer library. My goal is to create something so useful that I wish it had been available when I first faced those challenges.

Q. Which AI application do you think will have the biggest impact on society in the next 5 years?

A: I'm mostly excited about the "most boring" applications that will positively impact everyday life, like intelligent document processing, automated form filling, natural language interfaces for government services, etc. I hope that in 5 years, LLMs will be considered boring but will have significantly improved healthcare, education, and public services - not just in rich countries but across the world.

Q: What emerging AI trends or technologies are you most excited about that aren't getting enough attention?

A: I am particularly excited about Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) research and the strides being made toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). NeRF-based technologies are revolutionizing 3D scene generation and could significantly impact industries like gaming, virtual reality, and film, making them more accessible and immersive. AGI, on the other hand, represents the next frontier in AI development. It aims to create systems that can perform any intellectual task humans can, and its long-term potential to transform education, healthcare, and many other areas remains underappreciated but vast.

Q: What's one common misconception about AI that you'd like to correct?

A: A common misconception is that AI will kill human creativity. In reality, AI can enhance creativity by expanding what's possible. Generative AI, for example, provides powerful tools for creators, enabling them to visualize and produce complex ideas that were previously limited by technical or resource constraints. With AI, the only limit is the creator's imagination, as these tools can assist in generating content, providing inspiration, or even automating repetitive tasks, freeing up more time for creators to focus on ideation and innovation.

Q. What skills do you think will be most crucial for tech professionals to develop in order to stay relevant in an AI-driven future?

A. I always think of AI as an enhancement for humans not a replacement. Basic skills like having strong fundamentals and understanding what is right and wrong will be a strong skill. It might sound like a very generic answer, but after hiring many programmers as full-time and as interns, I have observed that whenever I gave them access to GitHub Copilot, they somehow lost their thinking skills and just clicked on the tab button, assuming whatever was generated might be better than what they’ll code.

Therefore, in an AI-driven future, it will be crucial for tech professionals to maintain their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, using AI tools as aids rather than crutches.

Q. How do you see the relationship between AI and human workers evolving in the near future?

A. I’m optimistic about the impact of AI on everyone’s life. It’ll be like having an internal layer of review before doing anything, and the good thing? It’ll be in an instant. Right now, many companies are stuck in the management loop of approval, and somehow, AI can easily streamline this faster.

For example, at Poper, we have an internal newsletter AI that crawls through our release notes, updates, blog posts, and summarizes everything into a well-written draft. The point of telling you this was that it took me 6 hours to build this, but it will easily save hours of work every month (even a year).

Q. How is AI changing the role of product designers, and what skills should designers focus on to stay relevant?

A. I've seen AI revolutionize our field. It's automating routine tasks, enabling data-driven decisions, and facilitating personalization at scale. To stay relevant, designers should focus on:

- Strategic thinking
- Human-centered design
- AI literacy
- Ethical design considerations
- Complex problem-solving
- Interdisciplinary collaboration

While AI handles more tactical work, our value lies in translating business goals and user needs into effective design strategies. Embracing AI as a tool, rather than a threat, opens up new possibilities for innovation in product design.

Q. What are the unique challenges in designing user interfaces for AI-powered products, and how do you approach them?

A. I've found the key challenges in designing AI-powered interfaces are:

- Managing unpredictability
- Building user trust
- Balancing personalization and privacy
- Handling errors gracefully
- Setting realistic user expectations

We approach these by designing for flexibility, transparency, and user control. We clearly communicate AI's role, provide explanations where possible, and allow users to override or adjust AI outputs. Robust feedback mechanisms and accessibility considerations are crucial. The goal is to create interfaces that harness AI's power while remaining intuitive and trustworthy.

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