Meet the AIOZ team: Quang Tran, Head of Artificial Intelligence
As our community continues to grow, we want to bring you close to our team. The people that, alongside you, are making the AIOZ Network project possible. As such, we have started a new “Meet the team” segment in our blog in which we will interview the key team members that are pushing the AIOZ Network forward.
In our first series, we introduce you to Quang Tran, Head of A.I, responsible for the Artificial Intelligence department of the AIOZ Network. In this interview, we learn more about his background in the industry, explore how Quang joined the team, and its main functions within the project.
We’ll also understand the importance of A.I. within the AIOZ Network and the wider blockchain technology. During the interview, Quang stated:
“Blockchain technology, combined with AI, will indeed pave the way to a new age of digitization.”
He also believes that the project can impact people all over the world in a meaningful way. To learn more about Quang and his views on AIOZ Network, keep reading!
Can you describe your function in the AIOZ Network as head of A.I.?
As Head of A.I., I work with a team of A.I. scientists to research and develop A.I. solutions built in the AIOZ Network. My role is to lead and manage the AI engineering and research teams, which focus on predictive data (A.I., Machine Learning, Deep Learning), experimentation, and analytics/data warehousing (reports, dashboards, metrics, ETL/Pipeline). Besides, I formed a research team with strong linkages to leading academic institutions to work on cutting-edge technology and industry trends. As a result, we’ve published many high-quality papers at prestigious conferences and journals worldwide, such as ICCV, CVPR, ECCV.
How did you join the AIOZ Network project?
AIOZ Network project is a massive and impactful initiative with real-world applications. It requires the use of various innovative technologies, ranging from Blockchain to A.I. As part of AIOZ, I worked closely with other teammates to constantly develop and apply cutting-edge technologies to improve the network’s functionality and usability over time.
What were your previous positions/jobs, prior to joining the AIOZ Network?
Prior to AIOZ Network, I was a researcher at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, developing a large-scale image search and visual-based localization system. The system was later deployed for the Singapore Ministry of Defense (MINDEF).
I actively invested in deeply comprehending, practicing cutting-edge AI & Blockchain technologies and flagship research during the past years. I have over nine years of experience working on machine learning, emphasizing deep learning, distributed computing. More recently, I continue to work on federated learning & privacy-preserving AI and deep learning and its applications to computer vision and robotics (to name a few, such as digital KYC systems, delivery mobile robots, product tagging, and billion-scale retrieval systems).
What is your favorite aspect of working at AIOZ?
To me, working at AIOZ represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where we are entrusted to build practical solutions that have societal impacts. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. I do feel AIOZ is the ideal place to keep this spirit alive, as well as the right environment in which to foster skills. We also have brilliant-minded and advanced-skill engineers backed by a scientific-proven and solid academic foundation. This is a rare chance, and certainly, one to jump on.
What role does A.I. play in the AIOZ Network project?
There are numerous AI applications within the AIOZ Network. In brief, AI turns out to be a helpful automation and optimization tool for the network with a cocktail of algorithms developed by our internal teams; such as video content analytics and filtering, abnormal event detection, recommendation system, smart advertising, optimal video compression, and intelligent routing for AIOZ nodes, to name a few.
Consider the problem of AIOZ nodes and intelligent routing. “Which edge nodes will the AIOZ Network dCDN direct the request to?” is the question that arises. A dCDN makes this decision with the help of a set of algorithms, which utilize massive volumes of data stored in network log files. These algorithms are typically well-defined based on industry norms, and they may be unable to respond to the unique and real-time issues that develop within a network. This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help make this routing decision smarter and more efficient.
With digital media content being delivered from peer to peer, it becomes essential to infuse network management and optimization with intelligence. AI can be applied to a distributed and decentralized infrastructure so that the AIOZ Network can proactively identify network traffic patterns and respond appropriately to communications traffic demand, resulting in a better user experience and improved content performance.
What are your thoughts on the AIOZ Network and its impact/importance on the industry?
AIOZ Network is indeed an interesting project with a huge impact and bringing real value to life. We’re working in the sector of content distribution and video streaming, which is a popular and high-demand application. With terabytes of content consumed every day through internet media, optimizing storage space is critical. A blockchain-based Content Delivery Network (dCDN) can assist in utilizing users’ collective unused storage space all over the world. By transforming this communal idle space into a peer-to-peer cloud storage and data delivery network, users can benefit from blockchain as a decentralized management system.
When did you first get involved in Blockchain/crypto?
My first experience with Blockchain was when we developed the first AI applications, including content moderation and recommendation system, for the AIOZ Network. It was an intriguing experience since deriving theory to practice is challenging, and seamlessly integrating AI and Blockchain is a non-trivial matter.
How do you think A.I. and blockchain technology will further merge in the future?
I believe AI and Blockchain working in convergence definitely has a bright future. However, until now, the link between these breakthroughs has been overlooked and exploited independently. These technologies, in my opinion, are complementary and, when integrated, can realize their full potential.
For example, let’s consider the usual process of developing a machine learning solution — a significant element of AI. Several building pieces, such as data collecting, training, regularization, and optimization, all necessitate implicit trust between the parties. With current advancements in blockchain technology, it would be nice to decentralize the lifecycle of AI applications so that customers and data scientists could collaborate in a trustless and secure manner.
Blockchain technology, combined with AI, will indeed pave the way to a new age of digitization.
Closing thoughts?
In my perspective, we are still in the early stages in this decentralized world, it might take time for people to get familiar with, but undoubtedly this is the future. Many exciting challenges will require the contributions of talented individuals, which we will address as a team at AIOZ.
About the AIOZ Network
The AIOZ Network is a Layer-1 Blockchain-based Content Delivery Network that is about to bring a revolution to the entertainment industry.
AIOZ Network utilizes Blockchain for better content distribution by leveraging the power of decentralization. Unlike the traditional data centers operating on a centralized model. distributed Content Delivery Network (dCDN) uses Nodes for storing, streaming, and transferring data.
The AIOZ Network uses a faster, cheaper, and more robust infrastructure for content streaming making it more affordable, faster. This allows the AIOZ Network to provide a higher quality service.
By using this revolutionary technology, the AIOZ Network can efficiently change the way the world streams content of all sorts, improving the quality of life of many and shaping the re-evolution of information and knowledge for future generations.
