Bay Area AI: Antonio Valderrabanos Interview

[Music] hello everybody I'm Alexa crapper the hello everybody I'm Alexa crapper the organizer of the RAI organizer of the RAI and here we are on location at Metis and here we are on location at Metis which is data science education which is data science education institution nationwide with the San institution nationwide with the San Francisco location and we have an Francisco location and we have an amazing meet up tonight we have two amazing meet up tonight we have two talks and one of the talks is Antonio talks and one of the talks is Antonio Valderrama knows from my text the Valderrama knows from my text the welcome upon and give it a man so we welcome upon and give it a man so we don't often see here what do you come don't often see here what do you come from and what does a company do okay em from and what does a company do okay em I'll make sure we see we meet each other I'll make sure we see we meet each other more often so we come from Spain Madrid more often so we come from Spain Madrid Spain that's what the production center Spain that's what the production center of the companies and we have sales and of the companies and we have sales and base here because most of the clients in base here because most of the clients in what we do in the shortest path is NLP what we do in the shortest path is NLP middleware so whatever you have an middleware so whatever you have an application that handles texts and needs application that handles texts and needs good enough in technology multilingual good enough in technology multilingual particularly that's what we have and so particularly that's what we have and so by text I know whether this it's an by text I know whether this it's an established company does a lot of work established company does a lot of work so tell us a little bit what kind of so tell us a little bit what kind of clients are kind of main users of clients are kind of main users of high-tech technology okay high-tech technology okay typical clients would be a magnetic typical clients would be a magnetic Medallia side force mm-hmm and a couple Medallia side force mm-hmm and a couple of photos that we should have mentioned of photos that we should have mentioned they're too big why we focus on that kind of market why we focus on that kind of market multi quality when the company series or multi quality when the company series or any project whether it is about project any project whether it is about project or a customer experience analysis or a customer experience analysis project they will want 20 30 up to 50 project they will want 20 30 up to 50 languages languages and that's why that's our typical market and that's why that's our typical market although we also have an API of these although we also have an API of these services we are API that make them services we are API that make them affordable unavailable to anyone affordable unavailable to anyone so the globalization Brad like it's a so the globalization Brad like it's a driver of money that's right is it so is driver of money that's right is it so is it mostly kind of company is big enough it mostly kind of company is big enough to kind of overstep say US market so do to kind of overstep say US market so do you see more of your clients it's you see more of your clients it's becoming so there are small companies becoming so there are small companies using multilingual features like how do using multilingual features like how do you see in terms of size in terms of you see in terms of size in terms of focus I tend to focus on text high focus I tend to focus on text high quality I don't want if not that kind of quality I don't want if not that kind of a big company we still have the API startups I mean basically we're not a startups I mean basically we're not a huge company so be with anyone and so huge company so be with anyone and so what is your portion empirical it is a what is your portion empirical it is a statistical appeal there is a kind of statistical appeal there is a kind of flu mystical impede what do you stand on flu mystical impede what do you stand on the spectrum okay the spectrum okay um as you know it's not black and white um as you know it's not black and white it's not everything or nothing but it's not everything or nothing but within that spectrum you define and within that spectrum you define and we're closer to the symbolic or we're closer to the symbolic or linguistic approach accuracy so how did linguistic approach accuracy so how did you come to this area you come to this area yessir what's it like what are your yessir what's it like what are your driving forces okay a first step was I driving forces okay a first step was I didn't work for companies in you know didn't work for companies in you know that that the headwaters here so then you clear a the headwaters here so then you clear a brilliant impression of what went on brilliant impression of what went on here going to important and then some of here going to important and then some of my colleagues came here to leave when I my colleagues came here to leave when I remain in Spain this is fun this is a remain in Spain this is fun this is a nice place nice place yes and then we were very lucky to get yes and then we were very lucky to get engage with Microsoft potentials in the engage with Microsoft potentials in the marketing Club Hamilton what provider marketing Club Hamilton what provider the extraction mm-hmm the extraction mm-hmm that made me think hey let's go there that made me think hey let's go there yeah this is great so sports by the way yeah this is great so sports by the way is a major supporter of our meetups and is a major supporter of our meetups and conferences and so Salesforce Einstein conferences and so Salesforce Einstein is now a really big player so we have is now a really big player so we have conference on November where we have at conference on November where we have at least 10 speakers from Salesforce least 10 speakers from Salesforce Einstein right and and I think that kind Einstein right and and I think that kind of AI focus is really kind of picking up of AI focus is really kind of picking up right this one of the first consumer right this one of the first consumer products a Neely's so that's really products a Neely's so that's really exciting because like multiple exciting because like multiple alignments so some curious it sounds to alignments so some curious it sounds to me and threw me wrong that you know I me and threw me wrong that you know I think Europe is very multilingual right think Europe is very multilingual right like like you you you know you move few like like you you you know you move few miles there is a different language miles there is a different language alright and in Spain right like have a alright and in Spain right like have a good money and if I'm spending it right good money and if I'm spending it right like America silly and so forth so so is like America silly and so forth so so is it kind of one of the ingredients of it kind of one of the ingredients of your kind of success be multilingual do your kind of success be multilingual do have access to so this linguist reside have access to so this linguist reside in Europe why do you think that kind of in Europe why do you think that kind of you guys are in demand in that specific you guys are in demand in that specific field I think that definitely place field I think that definitely place place around so at least being a speaker place around so at least being a speaker of two three four languages and that's of two three four languages and that's not in typical in Europe that gives you not in typical in Europe that gives you and advantage because you know there are and advantage because you know there are different languages you know they behave different languages you know they behave differently and then suffer for handling differently and then suffer for handling them is not going to be the same um I them is not going to be the same um I guess the other thing is that Madrid in guess the other thing is that Madrid in particular is becoming a very good spot particular is becoming a very good spot particularly after the crisis mm-hmm for particularly after the crisis mm-hmm for good talent and reasonable prices good talent and reasonable prices which is a sensible topic here for which is a sensible topic here for example Amazon open the Development example Amazon open the Development Center I guess is the combination of so Center I guess is the combination of so previous I heard a lot of folks were in previous I heard a lot of folks were in Barcelona all right but I need to met Barcelona all right but I need to met some startups which we settled on Madrid some startups which we settled on Madrid yes yes it's an easygoing place you know yes yes it's an easygoing place you know it's a bit like here do you find someone it's a bit like here do you find someone in a bar and maybe the last question not in a bar and maybe the last question not out of peer City will be where you from out of peer City will be where you from but it's not like in other places where but it's not like in other places where being from there or not from there yeah being from there or not from there yeah I found like a lot of international I found like a lot of international folks based in Madrid but they may be folks based in Madrid but they may be from neurons it's new Europe and they from neurons it's new Europe and they come here come here so that's that sounds great mmm another so that's that sounds great mmm another factory for automation out of the 10 factory for automation out of the 10 best business schools in the world to best business schools in the world to our base in Madrid it is funny that's our base in Madrid it is funny that's probably one of the reason why so many probably one of the reason why so many foreigners are based they come to Madrid foreigners are based they come to Madrid study interesting so so you've been in study interesting so so you've been in this business for a long time and I this business for a long time and I think it's really kind of key factor I think it's really kind of key factor I would say right when you're choosing in would say right when you're choosing in this partners and but in the last two this partners and but in the last two years we've had this professional years we've had this professional chugboats chugboats if you go to a trade show all there are if you go to a trade show all there are five companies saying how - everybody five companies saying how - everybody got a chalkboard right and essentially got a chalkboard right and essentially can wear this stage where all the people can wear this stage where all the people think that this is super easy just think that this is super easy just throwing some JavaScript you know glue throwing some JavaScript you know glue together some API is and suddenly factor together some API is and suddenly factor one right and so I mean I kind of feel one right and so I mean I kind of feel this is not the case but what do you this is not the case but what do you think of what does it mean for the space think of what does it mean for the space because I mean to me it's because I mean to me it's we'll be a bloodbath in the future like we'll be a bloodbath in the future like all this chat BOTS half of them I'm all this chat BOTS half of them I'm gonna go away the stripper consolidation gonna go away the stripper consolidation but you know I'm not specifically but you know I'm not specifically mistress what do you think is gonna mistress what do you think is gonna happen with this kind of sudden burst of happen with this kind of sudden burst of chatbot interest to some extent under chatbot interest to some extent under normal circumstances I'd be skeptical normal circumstances I'd be skeptical ten years ago there was another similar ten years ago there was another similar wave different this time is that you wave different this time is that you have big companies like Amazon Apple is have big companies like Amazon Apple is joining that space it's much speaker joining that space it's much speaker when the end of the year also I mean when the end of the year also I mean that's one business idea that makes a that's one business idea that makes a difference those things are selling yes difference those things are selling yes Christmas exactly so that will make a Christmas exactly so that will make a difference so if there is something in difference so if there is something in your house and that thing is listening your house and that thing is listening and talking do talk to that that will and talking do talk to that that will become a business because either like it become a business because either like it or not will end up buying one or five of or not will end up buying one or five of those from this compartment the other those from this compartment the other thing is that also the major bought thing is that also the major bought development platforms are run by this development platforms are run by this type of comics Google Facebook Amazon type of comics Google Facebook Amazon Microsoft Microsoft I forgot the the other one so would you I forgot the the other one so would you put these giant pushing in one direction put these giant pushing in one direction something is going to happen so I think something is going to happen so I think the technology is going to be pushed to the technology is going to be pushed to the edge also the technology is in a the edge also the technology is in a much better position now that it was a much better position now that it was a while ago I think it's also a very nice while ago I think it's also a very nice space for a hybrid architecture where space for a hybrid architecture where you combine statistics and symbolic you combine statistics and symbolic knowledge no training data besides knowledge no training data besides people trying to fit there's not really people trying to fit there's not really data for balls no way in at the scale data for balls no way in at the scale where machine learning itself so there's where machine learning itself so there's something that's what I think if we something that's what I think if we solve that both would get conversational right and so I mean service is very good right and so I mean service is very good for Amazon and Apple to have all this for Amazon and Apple to have all this data coming in into the systems how is data coming in into the systems how is it good for small guys how is it for the it good for small guys how is it for the community right how do we get our community right how do we get our friends over getting into the biggest friends over getting into the biggest focus in this new value chain is to be focus in this new value chain is to be the middle so typically we will allow the middle so typically we will allow you to train your body and make it you to train your body and make it energy aware so to say just by plugging energy aware so to say just by plugging in one component yeah for the general in one component yeah for the general one that's it one that's it the data there is so much of a challenge the data there is so much of a challenge that some companies are coming out that some companies are coming out saying we're probably mm-hmm Fred I think like they said they tasted Fred I think like they said they tasted you already I don't see any big changes you already I don't see any big changes there yes I like the middle work on there yes I like the middle work on spread because if you become very spread because if you become very skilled and very specialized in certain skilled and very specialized in certain aspects it sounds like the big players aspects it sounds like the big players who want to work with you right like I who want to work with you right like I want to plug in and and that I think want to plug in and and that I think that was the kind of feature of the that was the kind of feature of the market beforehand you become very good market beforehand you become very good at something and you provided to the at something and you provided to the service look at Alexa Elissa was service look at Alexa Elissa was released I think 2014 December it's released I think 2014 December it's almost three years later we have only almost three years later we have only one thing we can have they are really one thing we can have they are really simply sera Mzoli's so how come I mean simply sera Mzoli's so how come I mean that's his fashion or he I know that it that's his fashion or he I know that it that everybody would want to buy in that everybody would want to buy in Spain Germany France China whatever interesting so maybe the skills interesting so maybe the skills architecture needs to be more architecture needs to be more transferable exactly interesting design transferable exactly interesting design and implement well this is a great and implement well this is a great thought so thought so we live you know on the spot we'll look we live you know on the spot we'll look forward to your technical talk and you forward to your technical talk and you know great to have you back and thank know great to have you back and thank you guys for coming looking forward ok you guys for coming looking forward ok thank you thank you you [Music]