ML/AI with Zack Akil

Gabi Ferrara and Jon Foust are joined today by fellow Googler Zack Akil to discuss machine learning and AI advances at Google. First up, Zack explains some of the ways AutoML Vision and Video can be used to make life easier. One example is how Google Photos are automatically tagged, allowing them to be searchable thanks to AutoML. Developers can also train their own AutoML to detect specific scenarios, such as laughing in a video.

We also talk Cloud Next 2019 and learn how Zack comes up with ideas for his cool demos. His goal is to inspire people to incorporate machine learning into their projects, so he tries to combine hardware and exciting technology to think of fun, creative ways developers can use ML. Recently, he made a smart AI bicycle that alerts riders of possible danger behind them through a system of lights and a project to track and photograph balls as they fly through the air after being kicked.

To wrap it all up, Zack tells us about some cool projects he’s heard people use AutoML for (like bleeping out tv show spoilers in online videos!) and the future of the software.

Zack Akil

When he’s not teaching machine learning at Google, Zack likes to teach machine learning at his hands-on data science meetup, Central London Data Science Project Nights. Although he works in the cloud, most of his hobby projects look at different ways you can embed machine learning into low-power devices like Raspberry Pis and Arduinos. He also likes to have a bit of banter with his mixed tag rugby teams.

Cool things of the week

• Stackdriver Logging comes to Cloud Code in Visual Studio Code blog
• Open Match v0.8 was released last month site
• Cloud Spanner now supports the WITH clause blog

Interview

• Zack’s Website site
• Cloud AutoML site
• AutoML Video docs
• AutoML Vision site
• AutoML Vision Object Detection docs
• Coral site
• TensorFlow.js site
• Central London Data Science Meetup site

Question of the week

How do I run Cloud Functions in a local environment?

Where can you find us next?

Zack will be at DevRelCon.

Gabi will be taking time to recharge after conference season, then visiting family.

Jon will be attending several baby showers.

Sound Effect Attribution

• “Small Group Laugh 4, 5 & 6” by Tim.Kahn of Freesound.org
• “Sparkling Effect A” by CetSoundCrew of Freesound.org