2 minute read
Tanut Karwai: IBM technical specialist
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Tanut’s comments challenge a common misconception about artificial intelligence: that it is something unique to the 21st century.
He elaborates, “If we have a single equation or question, it’s called mathematics. But if a student has to solve a problem ten times to learn an answer to a question, and they learn from question 1 the way to answer question 2, and then question 3, and so on, then that’s how the machine learning in AI works, too.”
Tanut credits the University of Wolverhampton with having given him his first opportunity to study applied artificial intelligence. His graduation project explored using AI to detect the movements of arm muscles to understand the sign language that the gestures correspond with, in real-time. Speaking at TechFin Asia, December 2019, in Seoul, South Korea
From studying his bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering in Singapore, Tanut then studied postgraduate Engineering & Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Tanut now offers his technical expertise to one of the largest tech companies in the world, IBM.
Tanut says, “My learning goal has never changed: I want to design electronic devices that communicate seamlessly.
“I work with customers and people from different spheres in engineering and science. Because we have to succeed together, I always appreciate collaborating with them and benefiting from their enthusiasm and knowledge. I always learn new things in this role, because the IBM brand gives me the opportunity to interact with new people.” The area of AI that Tanut finds most interesting involves the way data is used in business, and creating business value using both hardware and software. Business has shifted towards a digital economy, and Tanut’s clients are being forced to consider the risks involved with both staying the same and changing the ways in which they handle their data – and whether AI can help them do this.
Tanut says, “One of the things that IBM is concentrating on worldwide is innovation, and my role requires a lot of networking with sector leads.
“I help customers or consult with students at university on how to understand data and information. To make better decisions, we need as much information as possible, including all market research, customer surveys, and cost-benefit analysis.”
At Qiskit Camp in Japan, 2019
