Speaking at The AI Summit New York
What a way to end a crazy year: presenting a keynote talk at The AI Summit New York 2024! I never expected to be a speaker at The AI Summit New York, but it happened. I submitted an abstract on a whim and truth be told, never expected to hear anything back. But I did hear back from the conference organizers who liked my abstract and wanted me to come to New York City (NYC) and give my talk in December! This was a dream come true for me. I had wanted to attend or speak at a conference in NYC for many years now; I just never expected it to happen this year. This just goes to show that life happens in the most unexpected ways. We can never really predict how things will turn out, but things happen the more chances we take. I’m going to write about how the conference was and then I’m going to write about what I thought about NYC having last been in Manhattan seven years ago. It was very stressful preparing a presentation, making the arrangements to travel up to NYC, going to the conference + giving the presentation, and then traveling home. But I am very glad that I did it and it was a great learning experience for me overall. It’s always a good idea to take stretch opportunities and try bigger challenges.
I thought the conference was excellent! I loved the venue: Javit Center right in the middle of Hudson Yards. I really loved Hudson Yards because it was modern, clean, and had really nice buildings. It just felt very different from the rest of Manhattan and definitely a breath of fresh air. The conference itself was definitely very New York City and it had a totally different vibe from any other conference that I’ve been to. Most of the conferences I’ve been to have been in D.C., and they often have a huge government component to them. But this was an AI conference that was more geared towards industry, specifically finance and commercial consulting. These are two of the industries that NYC is particularly strong in, no? This was also a very global conference, where I met people that flew in from all over the U.S., U.K., Israel, Ukraine, etc. I really enjoyed speaking to the vendors they had at the conference, from big Fortune 500 companies down to small startups. A lot of my fellow speakers were far more accomplished than me and many of them were upper management, but I didn’t care. I was there to do my talk and add value to my listeners. I liked that the organizers treated the speakers very well with our own lounge and provided very high quality food.
About my talk: I was slated to give a talk about AI infrastructure, specifically the standardization, customization, data governance, and ethics of AI infrastructure. This was a topic I was not intimately familiar with, but I was confident that I could learn the requisite information and deliver a scintillating talk. I spent months preparing for my presentation by reading books, articles, and listening to podcasts. I made my presentation over many arduous nights and weekends, soliciting feedback from my friends who I truly appreciate, thank you! This was something that I could have easily not done, but I was up for the challenge. As I’m writing this, I remember a conversation I had with a senior consulting manager who was a former engineer. He was very impressed with me and my presentation and told me that I had what it takes to think for myself and to solve problems. I also remember my conversation with a healthcare consultant/adjunct professor who was also impressed with me and my presentation. He told me that I was going to do great and to keep doing what I do. If nothing else, going to the conference and speaking with these two gentlemen has given me a newfound sense of confidence, and that’s priceless. During my talk, the room was almost full and I received feedback from multiple people that it was well received. I did everything I could to present a talk that would add value for the audience. I have no regrets even though it was extremely exhausting before and after the trip to NYC! You have to take big chances in life, you know? When you are tired and exhausted, that’s a sign that you’ve been working hard!
My thoughts on NYC is that it’s not a place I enjoy. The last time I was there was seven years ago; the next time I go back, unless I get invited to a conference or event again, is probably going to be in 10 years. I would never go to NYC just for a vacation or trip for fun. I just don’t enjoy the chaos, noises, and big crowds of the city like other people do. It almost felt like being an animal in a zoo. Way too crowded, way too loud, and way too dirty everywhere. The very first moment that I got to NYC, I got stuck in a turnstile in the subway station with my luggage. Then after navigating and riding the subway (super stressful), I boarded a transit bus at full capacity and that was crazy. Then I got to the hostel, which had good accommodations for the price, but it was so small I felt like I was caged. And it kind of felt this way for the rest of the four days in NYC riding the subway, walking the streets, and going to landmarks. The hostel I stayed at had tourists that flew in from Australia, Great Britain, and Argentina; it was crazy to me that people would fly that far to vacation in New York during the December cold! Absolutely bonkers to be, but I guess it made sense to them. NYC does have good food and it does have its charms as a city. The people are far nicer than they are made out to be by the mainstream media. I also felt relatively safe, though it could have been that I just got lucky. I really didn’t feel safe around the big tourist traps (Times Square, Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue) when crossing the streets with cars everywhere. I couldn’t wait to get my talk down and get out of NYC all four days that I was there. Once I got back to D.C., I felt like a person again and that I had space to live. NYC was cool, but I say never again unless I’m going there for a specific purpose!!