#107 Kylie Ying on MIT, CERN, Figure Skating, and Poker AI
Dec 15, 2023
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Software engineer and teacher Kylie Ying talks about her experiences at MIT and CERN, synchronized skating, aspirations like winning a poker tournament, and using AI in poker. They also discuss their fascination with CERN, perspectives on the finance industry, and the role of computation in AI breakthroughs.
The speaker's experience at CERN inspired her to work on projects that push the boundaries of science and technology, shifting her focus away from quantitative finance.
The speaker finds joy in trying new activities and pushing boundaries outside her comfort zone, reflected in her bucket list goals.
Figure skating taught the speaker the importance of visualization, resilience, and teamwork, shaping her confidence under pressure and appreciation for skill diversity.
The convergence of AI and finance, specifically in poker, demonstrates the potential for AI to have a significant impact in financial analysis and decision-making.
Deep dives
The inspiring experience at CERN and the wonder of physics
During her time at CERN, the speaker was amazed by the incredible machines and science happening there. From walking through the giant detectors to seeing historical computers, she marveled at human achievements. This experience made her question her previous goal of going into quantitative finance, as she felt it would waste her brainpower. Instead, she became inspired to work on projects that push the boundaries of science and technology, such as self-driving airplanes or brain chip technology.
The desire to try new things and pursue personal interests
The speaker has a strong curiosity and desire to try different activities, leading her to think about her bucket list. Some items include reaching a million subscribers on YouTube, winning a poker tournament, DJing at a music festival, and doing a stand-up comedy show. She explains that she finds joy in experiencing new things, building meaningful connections, and pushing boundaries outside her comfort zone.
The lessons learned from figure skating
The speaker reflects on her years of figure skating, where she learned the importance of visualization and manifestation. Before competitions, she would visualize herself flawlessly performing routines, believing it made a significant impact. She also highlights the teamwork aspect of synchronized skating and how it helped her appreciate skills that were undervalued in solo figure skating. The experience taught her resilience, confidence under pressure, and the value of going outside her comfort zone.
The evolving career aspirations and focus on meaningful work
The speaker's career aspirations shifted after her experiences at CERN and her reflections on finance. She realized she wanted to work on projects in science and engineering that had a positive impact on society and pushed the boundaries of human knowledge. Building towards a future that resonated with sci-fi novels and solving complex problems that benefited humanity became her new focus.
The Role of AI in Finance and Poker
AI technology has made significant contributions in the fields of finance and poker. In finance, quantitative finance firms are interested in individuals skilled in poker as it demonstrates their proficiency in mathematics and probability. Poker itself is a game that relies on probabilities, making it a valuable skillset for financial analysis. There are already poker bots that play at a superhuman level using algorithms like counterfactual regret minimization. These bots have been trained to play against themselves and develop optimal strategies that can be used against human players. The convergence of AI and finance in areas like poker demonstrates the potential for AI to have a significant impact in financial analysis and decision-making.
The Intersection of Metacognition and Poker
Metacognition, the act of thinking about thinking, plays a crucial role in poker. Players need to consider not only their own strategy but also anticipate the strategies of other players. This involves analyzing the probabilities and the psychology of the game. Successful poker players develop an intuition for anticipating opponents' moves and making informed decisions based on their analysis. The ability to think metacognitively and adapt strategies accordingly is a valuable skill in both poker and life. The parallels between poker and life, as highlighted in Maria Konakova's book 'The Biggest Bluff,' demonstrate how the game can teach valuable life skills and decision-making processes.
AI in Computer Vision and Robotics for Self-Driving Cars
Computer vision and AI have revolutionized the field of self-driving cars. Perception, planning, and control are crucial components in autonomous vehicle technology. Computer vision enables cars to understand and interpret the world through cameras, sensors, and object tracking algorithms. Advanced algorithms like convolutional neural networks are used for object recognition and tracking. Planning algorithms help determine the best course of action based on the perception data, while control algorithms guide the car's movements, such as steering and acceleration. The challenges in self-driving cars, such as object tracking at high speeds, demonstrate the complexity and potential of AI in robotics. This field has the potential to drive significant advancements in transportation and mobility.
I'm Quincy Larson, teacher and founder of freeCodeCamp.org. And each week, I'm bringing you insight from developers, entrepreneurs, and ambitious people who are getting into tech.
Today I'm joined by Kylie Ying. She's a software engineer and a teacher at freeCodeCamp.
We talk about Kylie's 5 years at MIT, her time at CERN working on the Large Hadron Collider, competitive figure skating, and even poker-playing AIs.
I hope these weekly freeCodeCamp podcasts are firing you up about learning more about technology.
Tell your friends about the freeCodeCamp podcast. Let's inspire more folks to learn to code and build careers for themselves in tech.
Links to things we discuss:
- Kylie review of her 5 years at MIT (20 minute watch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtujJjKmfN0
- Kylie's video about CERN's Large Hadron Collider (17 minute watch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmJ44z9hl8c
- Kylie's Hot Dog or Not Dog Neural Networks course (2 hour course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/convolutional-neural-networks-course-for-beginners/
- Real Genius movie trailer – classic 80s movie about graduate school (2 minute watch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuv7SIVNkx8
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