Posted by For about two years the pandemic made us pause our Machine Learning Schools and other in-person events. However, the wait finally ended this year as we are excited to be able to travel and promote Machine Learning adoption around the world again! And what better way to do so than coming back to The Netherlands, a lovely spot to learn the latest developments in Machine Learning blended with plenty of use cases and accentuated with applications that were showcased during the second edition of the Machine Learning School in The Netherlands.
Without a doubt, this edition has been one of the most interactive Machine Learning Schools since we started organizing events back in 2015! Attendees did not only follow what the speakers had to present but also actively participated in the discussions on how Machine Learning is being applied in different industries and verticals. Why we should seek and leverage certain data elements, the ethics behind the use of sensitive data, tips to convince your company that becoming data-driven is not a choice anymore if the goal is to lead the market, how to scale initiatives within large organizations, and more. There was a wide variety of topics that were covered with enthusiasm during 3 days full of engaging content, real-world examples, hands-on workshops, many intelligent questions and comments from the audience, and a healthy measure of group fun!
The first day started with the traditional opening remarks presented by MªJesús Alonso, Events Manager at BigML, and Jan W. Veldsink, Master in the art of AI at Nyenrode, Rabobank, and Grio, and the chairman of the event. They were followed by the opening keynote session led by Abdelghani Khaldi, Principal Program Manager Industrial IoT Solution Architecture at Mercedes Benz Cars AG, who introduced the comprehensive Machine Learning Toolbox for everyone. In his session, we saw how Mercedes-Benz democratizes ML in production at scale. Abdel presented the MLToolbox architecture as well as some interesting automotive use cases. After that, Jan W. Veldsink talked about why society needs citizen developers and the key role they play in the ML adoption process within any organization.
The second block of sessions was devoted to real-world examples and Machine Learning applications presented by BigML’s customers to showcase how this technology impacts our society and significantly improves many sectors. Álvaro Clemente, BigML’s Machine Learning Engineer presented the lessons learned applying Anomaly Detection at scale while deploying and managing thousands of Anomaly Detectors to improve manufacturing processes at Mercedes Benz, this session was a continuation of the first keynote led by Abdel Khaldi. Keyanoush Razavidinani, Digital Business Consultant at A1 Digital, focused on process optimization in manufacturing plants highlighting how to implement Machine Learning to elevate and create new processes.
Ramon van Ingen, Co-Founder of the Siip Group together with Pablo González, Machine Learning Engineer at BigML, presented how computer vision and object detection can help reduce violence and discrimination in stadiums. Then, Arnoud Engelfriet, Co-Founder at Lynn Legal, brought another topic that opened plenty of discussion among the attendees and how this affects all companies regardless of their industry vertical, which was how Machine Learning transforms and automates legal services such as the NDA reviews. Francisco Martin, CEO, and Fo-Founder at BigML and AccuShoot, introduced for the first time in a live event how Machine Learning improves marksmanship, yet another prime example of Machine Learning powered innovation. Finally, we witnessed the 21 lessons learned for large organizations to create value from AI, by Richard Benjamins, Chief AI and Data Strategist at Telefónica.
The second day of the conference was devoted to a crash course combined with experiential learning with the Machine Learning masters to put theoretical concepts into practice in a hands-on manner. On the one hand, Tom Dietterich, emeritus professor of computer science at Oregon State University who is considered one of the fathers of Machine Learning and also Chief Scientist at BigML, presented the history and present developments in Machine Learning. His excellent session helped us put into perspective the evolution of Machine Learning and the current status in the academia. On the other hand, Mercè Martín, VP of Bindings and Applications at BigML presented several sessions to explain what Machine Learning is and is not, with a special focus on Anomaly Detection both theoretically and also with practical workshops the audience could follow live.
Finally, we saw several real-world use cases also focused on Anomaly Detection, such as the Multi-Perspective Anomalies led by Jan W. Veldsink, and Kevin Nagel‘s session, Consultant and Data Scientist at INFORM, that analyzed how Machine Learning is being applied for Anti Money Laundering Compliance.
The event took place at the Nyenrode Business University in Breukelen, The Netherlands, a pastoral location surrounded by nature that let the BigML Team, as well as the speakers, and attendees do some networking while enjoying the natural beauty of the area after the sessions finished.
If you could not make it to this edition, we hope you can join us in future events. For now, you can watch the slides of the presentations on the BigML SlideShare channel and more photos of the event are accesible here.
More Machine Learning Events!
Right after the second edition of our ML School in The Netherlands, we traveled to Valencia to present at the ValgrAI Scientific Council Forum, where we had the chance to meet many interesting researchers, ML practitioners, and students that wish to enroll in the graduate degree in AI program to become the next wave of innovators in Spain. We are honored to be part of ValgrAI, the Valencian Graduate School and Research Network of Artificial Intelligence, and we support the initiative to help make the Valencian Comunity a leading region in Europe when it comes to the study, research, and practice of Machine Learning.
As always, stay tuned for more announcements on BigML’s social media and here on this blog to learn about our upcoming Machine Learning events!
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