Technical Talks

Ravin Kumar

Senior Researcher | Google Deepmind

Models as Tools: My Perspective On the Matter

Foundation Models

You can look at GenAI from many perspectives. For me perspective shifts when I'm building products, to when I'm training foundation models, to being a day to day user of GenAI. However, most people aren't doing all these things. For the audience here I suggest focusing on one practical angle: LLMs as tools. In this talk I'll share how in this perspective LLMs are just any other tool. By starting with this perspective it'll ensure you start from a grounded realistic perspective before moving into the exciting more hype laden aspects of this new technology.

Senior Researcher

Ravin Kumar

Google Deepmind

Ravin Kumar is a Senior Researcher at Google DeepMind focused on building advanced mathematical models. With over a decade of experience applying math, statistics, and computation to real-world challenges, he previously served as a Senior Research Data Scientist at Google working on LLMs and trust and safety. Ravin is a core contributor to PyMC, the leading platform for statistical data science, and has published a book on computational statistics. His diverse background includes impactful roles at SpaceX, where he developed rocket launch planning software, and sweetgreen. Ravin holds a Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.