Reflections from Data Science Conference Europe
This past week I had the incredible opportunity to fly halfway around the world from North Carolina, United States to Belgrade, Serbia to give a keynote at Europe’s largest Data Science Conference, DSC Europe. With 3500+ attendees and 3 days packed with exciting talks, DSC Europe was the place to be the third week in November. But it wasn’t the large numbers of attendees or the fabulous venue (Metropol Palace Hotel) that impressed me the most about Data Science Conference - it was the curated moments of shared learnings and new perspectives. I have been to many conferences (see my writeup from GTC ‘24 here) and DSC Europe feels the most intimate. I had VIP access, which gives you access to special events like sponsored lunches, a gala, and the AI Summit on Tuesday before the Conference. The VIP events were exceptionally curated for those intimate conversations. Rather than focusing solely on LinkedIn connections, we had real conversations that formed lasting friendships.
I have provided a journey of sorts below, with summaries of key takeaways and reflections on the week. I would say this is part conference review, part travel blog, but all gratitude - for the experience, for the people, for the memories.
Tuesday: “Change the World Through Data [Protection]”
Arrival, AI Summit, VIP Drinks
Ryan and I flew to Belgrade overnight on Monday and arrived Tuesday afternoon Belgrade time. Despite traffic, we arrived and had just enough time to check in and refresh ourselves before the AI Summit (we were only a few minutes late to the Summit, which I thought was pretty good after 15+ hours of travel!)
The AI Summit was reserved for 150 attendees of the event. We heard a number of short talks on a wide range of topics. We were introduced to the central theme of the conference - “Change the World through Data”. A brief networking session was followed by my favorite event of the Summit - a roundtable discussion. The room was filled with tables with different topics, and you sat at the table with the topic you wished to discuss. Our table was focused on concerns around data protection and privacy. The table had representatives from government, startups, and academia. It was very interesting to hear different perspectives on data protection and privacy, starting with my questions, “what do we mean by data?” and “what kind of data do we want to protect?” This launched a series of back-and-forths around data protection and privacy.
Ultimately, we concluded that this is a hard problem and there are no easy answers. We discussed technical implementations for data protection, like industry-level best practices and new approaches including data poisoning, we talked about what regulations could look like in this space including at the data level and for the AI systems using this data, and we talked about a likely outcome that many people will accept that their data is publicly available. Something we all agreed on was the need for better education (especially for youth) around data privacy and protection and how companies are using your data.
After the roundtable discussions, representatives from each of the tables got up on stage and shared their table’s ideas with the rest of the attendees.
Filled with ideas, the next stop of the evening was drinks and hor d'oeuvres at the Metropol Palace Hotel’s rooftop restaurant, The Twenty Two. After meeting several fascinating individuals, Ryan and I took our leave. After eating mostly airplane food for the last day, we were pretty famished. We found a small restaurant a short walk away, Bistro La Vue, and enjoyed a meal to traditional live music.
Wednesday: Panels and Palaces
Conference Day 1, Visit Church of Saint Sava, Gala at the White Palace
Walking down the stairs the morning of the first conference day, I was surprised to find the once quiet lobby brimming with people, eager to get their badges and kick off the event. Another impressive feat of DSC Europe was that it started on time! Since when does a conference actually start on time? I found one of the last seats in the hall for the introductory remarks and first keynote, given by Tobias Zwingmann on “The Seven Deadly Sins of AI”.
I attended several other notable talks and panels, including “What can artificial neural networks learn from biological neuromodulatory systems” from Professor Srikanth Ramaswamy and “Understanding Text to Image Models”, where Jose Portilla introduced the concept of “visual steering” - or taking the core mechanistic interpretability concepts of dictionary learning to image models.
Panels on “Building Sustainable, Efficient, and Highly Intelligent AI Factories in Europe” and “Human Brain vs. AI Brain: Can We Design a Truly Human-like AI”, both moderated by the incredibly talented Tarry Singh, were fascinating explorations of the challenges to building the next generation AI systems.
Combined with reflections from the AI Summit, these panels also made me think critically about the differences and similarities between Europe’s approach to AI and the approach taken by other countries around the world.
In sharp contrast to the “go big or go home” attitude I commonly see at US-based industry AI conferences, the discussions in Europe were more contemplative. Europe has thus far taken a more careful (borderline cautious) approach to development and adoption of AI technology. They are thinking deeply about the impacts of AI technology - especially environmental impacts. This balance between innovation and sustainability is very impressive and the world can learn a lot from the European perspective.
I have seen creative solutions, cutting edge startups, and integration with established globally recognized brands based in Europe. And this balance with sustainability is cultivating new innovations - from focusing on renewable energy for data centers to the development of small language models.
Between sessions, we did sneak out to take a peak at the not quite finished Church of Saint Sava, which is the largest Eastern Orthodox church outside of Russia. It is a relatively short walk from the Metropol Palace Hotel. The sheer size of the chapel is overwhelming, and when you step inside, the ornate details take your breath away. Truly a sight to see!
After the conference sessions ended for the day, we had a few moments to recover before being whisked away to a gala at the White Palace. The White Palace is one of two residences in the Royal Compound in Belgrade. Built in the 1930’s in the style of 18th century English country houses, it has a very interesting history that follows the history of Serbia and former Yugoslavia. On the way, it started snowing, transforming the city into a winter wonderland. Driving up to the palace through glistening pine trees as the snow gently fell around us was nothing short of magical. In the White Palace, Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic spoke to the attendees and then the party began! Lots of wine, laughs, and bonds were formed in those walls. Usually the first to leave a party, Ryan and I were among the last stragglers, soaking in the last few moments of the magical night with wonderful people.
Thursday: The Past & The Future
Conference Day 2, Future of AI Panel (Ryan), Visit Fortress, DSC Party
The second day of the conference saw many wonderful talks, one of which was Ryan’s panel on the Future of AI. The room was full, the questions were expertly crafted, and the answers were inspiring. The Future of AI is a big topic and the three panelists - - did a beautiful job sharing places to improve (explainability, trustworthiness), areas where AI can greatly benefit communities using robust Human-AI Interaction principles, and places where AI could grow in the future (quantum).
I attended a number of other excellent talks, including a keynote from Ido Engel on “The tech giants in AI - who is going to win the battle?” While he may be slightly biased (he leads Microsoft Cloud and AI GTM in Southeast Europe), the talk had some excellent takeaways for those interested in innovating in this space. Key takeaway for entrepreneurs: “Don’t build companies that IT departments can build [with the help of AI]”
After the conference ended for the day, we took advantage of the lovely weather and walked to the historic Fortress. We arrived as the sun was dipping low and enjoyed exploring the park, filled with laughing children, as night settled in. On the way back, we wandered through the pedestrian-only streets, filled with cafes, shopping, and restaurants. It was starting to get chilly, so we ducked into a shop and Ryan bought a hat and gloves. We visited the cutest bookstore you can possibly imagine, filled to the brim with books and knick-knacks, a coffee cart, and a spiral staircase. After this, we took advantage of being the closest to Italy either of us have been and went to a traditional Italian restaurant, Trattoria Campania. Our waiter suggested the most amazing dishes, and we left in a wonderful mood.
The DSC Party was located at Dorcol Platz, an artsy concert venue. We couldn’t stay long - I still had to prepare for my speech and panel the following day!
Friday: Inspired
Conference Day 3, Keynote, Women in Tech Event at UNDP, Cocktail Hour & Conversations
It was the big day - My keynote was in the morning and directly following I was to be whisked away to Barrel House, the location of the 'Her Journey, Her Story: Women Shaping Tech' event hosted by the United Nations Development Program in Serbia.
My keynote was on topics I consider very important: digital biomarkers, Responsible AI, and how to develop digital biomarkers responsibly. The audience was highly engaged and the questions were challenging in the best way.
Here are the key takeaways from my talk for developing digital biomarkers (or anything using ML/AI) responsibly:
1. Use interpretable ML models if possible and explainable AI methods when not
2. Be transparent about your approaches
3. Ensure robust evaluation
As soon as my talk was over, I was escorted directly to a car to head to Barrell House for my interview. Despite a taxi mixup and some streets being blocked, Aleksa saved the day and found a car, and I ended up arriving with time to spare (thanks to my driver, whom I told drives like James Bond).
The 'Her Journey, Her Story: Women Shaping Tech' event at UNDP was inspiring in all the best ways. Definitely a highlight of my time in Belgrade - I felt so connected to the community of women in Belgrade through this event. It was amazing to share the stage with other incredible women, including Karen D. and Katherine Munro.
Marija Beslać and I discussed a wide range of topics - from the importance of having women represented in tech to motherhood to ultrarunning (and why I prefer a DNF - did not finish - to a DNS - did not start). There were so many moments of vulnerability and I so enjoyed sharing this experience with amazing women from Serbia.
Here is the advice I shared for young ladies pursuing a career in tech:
1. Forget stressing about finding your singular passion - instead, follow your Curiosities 🧠
2. Learn to Code - building something yourself is so incredibly empowering! 👩💻
3. Practice Creativity - it is one of the most underrated skills in tech 🎨
4. Have more Confidence in yourself 🛩️
A huge thank you to the event sponsors UNDP Serbia UNDP Accelerator Labs UK Embassy Belgrade Kancelarija za IT i eUpravu and organizers Sanja Arizanović, Kristina-Jazinka Nikolic, Maja Brankovic Djundic, Nataša Kilibarda.
I drove home with several incredible people, including fellow speaker Katherine Munro and Nevena Vukašinović. The snow was falling and we snapped a selfie in the backseat to commemorate the time spent together.
The conference ended with a cocktail hour and great conversations with new friends Kaja, Lana, and Tia. We bonded over so many things - our careers in data, our interests in health and adventure, and our shared interest in learning more about each other’s cultures. I do think Kaja is my Slovenian sister - our perspectives on life are just so similar. I hope our sons can one day meet one another too.
Saturday: Culture & Enlightenment
Explore Belgrade, Nikola Tesla Museum, Spa at Metropol Palace, Drinks with Friends
With the conference over, we slept in and almost missed breakfast then took to exploring the city. Note that it was quite cold by this point - while it had been 55 when we arrived in Belgrade, it was now close to freezing and felt like 28. We wandered the streets and in and out of stores. We found a very large market and wandered the stalls of fresh vegetables, clothes, and knick-knacks.
We visited St. Mark Orthodox Church, which we had walked by a few times during the week. Its sits within the lovely Tašmajdan Park. Completed in 1940, it was quite a sight to see. The architecture and paintings in the interior were incredible.
We tried unsuccessfully to visit the Nikola Tesla Museum and then came back later (got in line much earlier) and made it for the tour. I understand why everyone recommends the museum - while small, the interactive exhibits are fascinating! Nikola Tesla was such an interesting human. He leaves behind many quotes that are still relevant today, like the one below.
“We are living in an age of unprecedented technical achievement leading to a more and more complete mastery of the forces of nature and annihilation of time and space. But this development, while contributing to our comfort, convenience and safety of existence, is not in the direction of true culture and enlightenment. On the contrary, it is destructive of ideals… The real cause for the fall of nations is the inability of mankind to solve the SOCIAL, MORAL and SPIRITUAL problems. So long as the struggle for existence is such that only the fittest can survive, there is a healthy development under the sway of individualism. When reaction sets in the individual is eliminated, original effort and initiative suppressed and the creative faculties impaired, the race gradually lapses into savagery and perishes. A similar end threatens our present civilization…” -Nikola Tesla, ~1920
Post museum, we had dinner and then we warmed up in the spa, where I spent too much time in the sauna and not enough time in the jacuzzi.
You may think this is where the story ends, especially considering it was 10:30p and we were leaving for the airport at 4:15a the next morning, but Tarry Singh and I had still not had time to catch up in person so we both made it happen and ended up having a lovely hour and a half conversation, bookended with wine and new friends. (A special thanks to Tarry for introducing me to the organizers of DSC - he is why I was able to go on this incredible journey).
Reflections on DSC Europe
I have so many amazing things to say about DSC Europe. The organization of it was truly top notch. Everything started on time, room shifts were done seamlessly, and the attention to detail was incredible. I enjoyed the talks, panels, and events. If I have the opportunity to attend again in the future, I definitely will and I encourage anyone who is interested in data science/AI to consider attending.
A few notes for next year (in case an organizer sees this and is looking for some feedback):
Perhaps having 5-minute breaks between talks would help people getting up and leaving at the end of talks. It was a little distracting, and this slight modification could really improve the experience.
A DSC store to buy merch would be awesome!
The Agorify app was great - I thought it was really helpful for organizing your day. Sending it out a couple days earlier may be beneficial for those who want to plan it out farther in advance.
Reflections on Belgrade
I was incredibly surprised how at home I felt in Belgrade. It feels surprisingly similar to my home in North Carolina and my previous homes in the Midwest United States. The natural landscape is not dissimilar. The birds and animals are the same. If the signs were not in Serbian, I would have definitely believed I was in a city at home in the States. Everyone I met was extremely friendly. Everyone is quite fashionable, especially during the work week, so dress to impress if you visit! Although our visit was short, I am confident this will not be our last time visiting Belgrade.
Sights to see if you visit:
Nikola Tesla Museum
Church of Saint Sava
St. Mark Orthodox Church
Belgrade Fortress & Kalemegdan Park
Knez Mihailova Street
Walk around the city! There is so much to explore!
Hvala! Thank you! Until next time, Belgrade and DSC!