Recap of the 15th Data & AI Meetup: Reinforcement Learning; TensorFlow on Azure; Visual Analytics

200 attendees at the 15th Data & AI Meetup at DB Systel in Frankfurt, Germany
200 attendees at the 15th Data & AI Meetup at DB Systel in Frankfurt, Germany

Yesterday we had an amazing Data & AI Meetup in Frankfurt! Let’s have a quick recap!

The venue: DB Systel’s Silberturm

DB Systel kindly hosted the 15th iteration of our Data & AI Meetup on the 30th floor of the Silberturm in Frankfurt, Germany.

Welcome & Intro

Darren Cooper and I had the pleasure to welcome 200 Data & AI enthusiasts! Furthermore, we were happy to announce that our Data & AI Meetup group has 1,070 members and our brand new Data & AI LinkedIn group already has 580 members.

Reinforcement Learning of Train Dispatching at Deutsche Bahn

Dr. Tobias Keller, Data Scientist at DB Systel, showed in his session how Deutsche Bahn aims at increasing the speed of the suburban railway system in Stuttgart (S-Bahn) using Artificial Intelligence. In particular, a simulation-based reinforcement learning approach provides promising first results.

TensorFlow & Co as a Service

Sascha Dittmann, Cloud Solution Architect for Advanced Analytics & AI at Microsoft, showed in his presentation, how TensorFlow and other ML frameworks can be used better in a team through appropriate Microsoft Cloud services. He presented different ways of how data science experiments can be documented and shared in a team. He also covered topics such as versioning of the ML models, as well as the operationalization of the models in production.

Visual Analytics: from messy data to insightful visualization

Daniel Weikert, Expert Consultant at SIEGER Consulting, showed in his session the ease of use of Microsoft Power BI Desktop. He briefly highlighted the AI Capabilities which Power BI provides and showed a way on how to get started with messy data, doing data cleaning and visualize results in an appealing way to your audience.

Speaking at an upcoming Data & AI meetup?

If you’ve dreamed of sharing your Data & AI story with many like-minded Data & AI enthusiasts, please submit your session proposal or reply to the recap tweet:

15th Data & AI Meetup: Reinforcement Learning; TensorFlow on Azure; Visual Analytics

We’d like to invite you to our 15th Data & AI Meetup, hosted at Skydeck @ DB Systel in Frankfurt, Germany.

Agenda:

5:30pm: Doors open

6:00pm: Welcome & Intro
by Alexander Loth, Digital Strategist at Microsoft
and Darren Cooper, Principal Consultant at DB Systel

6:20pm: 🚄 Reinforcement Learning of Train Dispatching at Deutsche Bahn
by Dr. Tobias Keller, Data Scientist at DB Systel

7:00pm: 🚀 TensorFlow & Co as a Service
by Sascha Dittmann, Cloud Solution Architect for Advanced Analytics & AI at Microsoft

7:40pm: 📊 Visual Analytics: from messy data to insightful visualization
by Daniel Weikert, Expert Consultant at SIEGER Consulting

8:30pm: Networking & drinks

9:30pm: Event concludes

DB Systel Skydeck in Frankfurt (previous meetup)
DB Systel Skydeck in Frankfurt (previous meetup)

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Do you want to speak at our events? Submit your proposal here: https://aka.ms/speakAI

Machine Learning kompakt: Alles, was Sie wissen müssen

Machine Learning Kompakt Cover und Deep-Learning-Kapitel
Machine Learning kompakt und Blick in das Kapitel „Neuronale Netze und Deep Learning“

Nachdem ich bereits Erfahrung als Buchautor (hier und hier) gesammelt habe, hatte ich kürzlich die Gelegenheit als Technical Reviewer ein sehr spannendes Buchprojekt zu unterstützen. Das Buch Machine Learning kompakt: Alles, was Sie wissen müssen, geschrieben von Andriy Burkov, fand ich dabei dermaßen interessant, dass ich es gerne im Folgenden kurz vorstellen werde:

Machine Learning kompakt von Andriy Burkov ist ein hervorragend geschriebenes Buch und ein Muss für jeden, der sich für Machine Learning interessiert.

Andriy Burkov gelang ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis zwischen der Mathematik, intuitiven Darstellungen und verständlichen Erklärungen zu finden. Dieses Buch wird Neulingen auf dem Gebiet als gründliche Einführung zu Machine Learning zugutekommen. Darüber hinaus dient das Buch Entwicklern als perfekte Ergänzung zu Code-intensiver Literatur, da hier die zugrunde liegenden Konzepte beleuchtet werden.

Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio

Machine Learning kompakt eignet sich außerdem als Lehrbuch für einen allgemeinen Kurs zu Machine Learning. Ich wünschte, ein solches Buch gäbe es, als ich studiert habe!

Protip: viele der im Buch vorgestellten Machine-Learning-Algorithmen können Sie einfach und bequem in Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio selbst ausprobieren: https://aka.ms/mlst

How China is Winning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Deep Dive into Innovation, Culture, and Strategy

China AI: The impressive Alibaba Campus in Hangzhou, a hub of innovation and intrapreneurship.
China AI: The impressive Alibaba Campus in Hangzhou, a hub of innovation and intrapreneurship.

China’s AI revolution is taking the world by storm. In this journey across cities like Hangzhou, discover how China is leading the AI industry, inspiring innovation, and shaping the future.

Currently, I’m on a 4-week China trip, visiting many cities. In Hangzhou, I met CEIBS peers who work for Alibaba. While the Alibaba campus is quite impressive, I got even more impressed by Alibaba’s leadership culture, which is encouraging its employees to innovate as intrapreneurs.

Intrapreneurship at Alibaba: The China AI Model for Success

At the impressive Alibaba Campus in Hangzhou, I discovered the power of intrapreneurship. If you start your own project (a new mobile app, a patent, a scientific paper, etc.), you’re doing it at your own pace. Employees are encouraged to innovate at their own pace, without being micro-managed. Success is rewarded with bonuses. Truly, this is where we can learn from China in the „China AI“ landscape!

China’s AI Ambitions: Leading the New World Order

Yue and me, Hangzhou West Lake

While traveling in China I was reading AI Superpowers: China Silicon Valley, and the New World Order by Kai-Fu Lee, a book that is a must-read to get an idea of where China’s AI ambitions are heading to. What matters most for AI innovation these days, the author argues, is access to vast quantities of data—where China’s advantage is overwhelming.

A quite entertaining book focusing on the new mindset of China’s young generation is this one: Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World by Zak Dychtwald.

Visualizing the Journey: Exploring my Tableau Public Viz

Which other cities in China did I visit? Check out my Tableau Public viz:

A visualization of my 2019 China Visit, exploring the cities and experiences.
A visualization of my 2019 China Visit, exploring the cities and experiences.

Interested in Visual Analytics? Grab a copy of my latest book, Visual Analytics with Tableau (Amazon), for a comprehensive guide to mastering data visualization.

Stay Connected and Explore More on China AI

China’s AI is reshaping the global landscape. From Alibaba to the nation’s strategies, China AI inspires and challenges the world. It’s a blend of technology, culture, and energy driving China’s AI revolution.

The experiences and insights from this trip have been truly enlightening. I invite you to join me as I continue to explore the fascinating world of China AI, digital transformation, and visual analytics. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn, and let’s continue learning together.

Don’t miss my upcoming book, Decisively Digital: From Creating a Culture to Designing Strategy (Amazon) Dive deep into digital transformation and be part of the new era of innovation.