iKala Machine Learning Engineer – RayI am from Malaysia and graduated from National Chiao Tung University with a bachelor's and master's degree in Electrical Engineering. My passion lies in the field of AI research.
I specialize in natural language and image generation models. During my studies, I have executed numerous projects related to language understanding. Since childhood, I have had a keen interest in electronic components. In my first year of high school, I came up with a creative idea to design an "Automated Sprinkler" to enhance the efficiency of watering plants. By combining electronic components and programming, the system could detect humidity and water the plants automatically. This hands-on experience in proactive learning, motivated by the pursuit of task efficiency, inadvertently laid the groundwork for my future involvement in software-related work.
After graduating, as I entered the workforce, I consciously prioritized seeking a working environment that fosters freedom and innovation, providing ample opportunities for creativity and challenges in line with my passion for AI research. During my job search, I frequently encountered the active sharings of Sega, the Co-founder and CEO of iKala, on various community platforms. I also extensively read articles published by Sega online, which enlightened me about iKala's rapid development and immense growth potential. Furthermore, the company's vision deeply impressed me and I found great alignment with its core values. That's when I started nurturing the idea of joining iKala.
Becoming a Member of the AI Team and Fully Unleashing Interest on iKala's Stage
As a machine learning engineer, my daily work primarily involves designing and developing AI models. Even during my personal leisure time, I enjoy coding and training AI models. This allows me to seamlessly adapt to my job role and apply my interests and prior knowledge to practical applications at work. Whenever I seek new stimulation and fresh ideas, I delve into forums, Twitter, Reddit, and other platforms to gather inspiration. From there, I formulate future project trends, many involving commercial applications. Therefore, one of my key responsibilities is to assess the "feasibility" of these projects.
Embracing Diverse Talents, with a Clear Division of Roles and Inclusive Culture that Values Diversity among Team Members
iKala brings together a multinational team with diverse cultural backgrounds, allowing me to enhance my interpersonal communication and collaboration skills. Through professional training courses arranged by HR, I have also been able to improve my soft skills, such as presentation and communication. Looking back, the biggest challenge I faced while working was undergoing the restructuring of the machine learning team. However, I saw it as an opportunity to deepen and expand my experience in cross-departmental communication. Besides, interesting anecdotes often occur in the workplace. For example, there was once when the team needed to apply for more graphics cards to develop additional models. Eager to advance various AI research and development projects, I declared, "Give me graphics cards, and I'll provide you with all sorts of AI models!" Moreover, many of the research proposals I put forward were acknowledged and adopted by the team, earning me the nickname "iKala Graphics Card" in the company as Sega referred to it.
The AI team at iKala enjoys a harmonious working atmosphere with young and lively colleagues. The supervisors encourage diverse ideas, and clear division of responsibilities improves work efficiency. Job specialization enables collaborative learning when facing challenges in specific areas. Beyond work, the team exhibits a high level of cultural inclusivity. We engage in conversations about cultural differences between Taiwan and Malaysia, sharing unique characteristics of each culture that often spark new ideas.
As the "iKala Graphics Card," I would Like to Share a few Words with Future Newcomers to the AI Team:
If you share the same passion for AI and aspire to join the iKala team for a challenging journey, I recommend focusing on cultivating your self-directed learning skills. This will help you adapt and grasp concepts more quickly when faced with tasks like reading research papers or clarifying complex formulas such as linear algebra and calculus. Given the rapid progress of AI, it's crucial to have the ability to learn quickly and keep up with technological advancements. From my own experience, I believe that embracing a growth mindset and maintaining a proactive attitude towards learning are key factors. Therefore, I utilize my free time to work on projects like developing open-source ChatGPT. This not only assists the company in optimizing relevant needs but also allows me to build up my personal portfolio. Additionally, as AI ultimately serves humans, machine learning engineers must prioritize user feedback and develop AI tools and models based on product requirements.
"Choice is More Important Than Hard Work, but to Own the Ability to Choose, one must Make Efforts"
Lastly, I would like to share a motto that has deeply influenced me: "Choice is more important than hard work, but to own the ability to choose, one must make efforts." It was through my decision to join iKala that I had the opportunity to meet many talented individuals. The ability to choose was a result of the continuous effort I had invested in the field of AI, building strength and skills along the way. Therefore, I firmly believe that by putting in dedicated effort and making choices that we won't regret, we could successfully achieve what we set out to accomplish.
We are hiring: https://ikala.ai/recruit/