On Saturday, June 29, 2024, my partner (attending for the first time) and I had the pleasure of attending Google I/O Extended 2024 at the NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre. This event, focusing on Google services and the latest technology, was particularly exciting in this year's AI-driven era. As a full-stack developer familiar with various Google products and services, I was especially interested in the AI technology showcased at the event. Here’s a recap of each presentation:
Keynote Address: Building Your Tech Career with Developer Communities
Kristine Song
The day began at 9:30 a.m. with Kristine Song, Regional Lead for KR/ANZ, DevEcosystem at Google (Seoul, South Korea). Kristine highlighted how developer communities not only help us gain knowledge from peers but also assist in building our tech careers—points I wholeheartedly agree with.
What's new in Flutter & Dart and how to use them?
Suesi Tran - GDE in Dart & Flutter, WTM Melbourne Ambassador, Senior Flutter and Android Developer @ Tabcorp.
Next, Suesi presented Flutter, which allows developers to build cross-platform mobile applications (iOS and Android) with a single codebase, is now in version 3.22. I've been using Flutter since v2.0.0, and I was excited to learn about its new generative AI support. Suesi demonstrated the ease of implementing the google_generative_ai library and showcased her Gemini application, which responds to voice commands and supports multilingualism (English and Vietnamese). I was impressed by its ability to handle Vietnamese and am inspired to explore more about my native language, Lao.
Fullstack Development with Flutter
Luke Moody - GDE Flutter
At 10:30 a.m., Luke discussed Fullstack Flutter. He showed how Flutter can be used not just for mobile development but also for server-side applications, demonstrating basic API CRUD operations using Dart and Flutter. This session was particularly useful for beginners or newcomers interested in using Flutter for server-side development. A humorous moment occurred when the MC initially introduced the wrong speaker, and Luke humorously corrected the mistake.
Lunch
The event provided valuable insights and networking opportunities during lunch, offering coffee, tea, light refreshments, and lunch boxes catered to individual dietary preferences.
Let's return to the hall
Career and leadership in cyber security
Barsha Karki - APJ Solutions Engineering Manager at Zscaler | Optimist | STEM Advocate
Next, Barsha began by inviting volunteers to perform a karaoke rendition of "Dancing Queen," which energized the audience and set a lively tone. Barsha's talk about her career in cybersecurity was very inspiring, particularly her insights on leadership.
She emphasized three key roles essential for career development: a coach, who talks to you; a mentor, who talks with you; and a sponsor, who talks about you. These distinctions resonated with me and provided valuable guidance for advancing in the cybersecurity field.
Build and deploy generative AI experiences in VertexAI
Priyanka Gyawali - CTO at Upplft
Next, Priyanka discussed the basic concepts of Generative AI and the differences between Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs). Priyanka explored Vertex AI, demonstrating its capabilities with a real example of using AI to recruit people by comparing resumes and interview data to generate a score or assess the potential suitability of new employees. From my personal perspective, I think this approach is very useful as it helps recruiters reduce the cost and time involved in individually reviewing applications. Fortunately, at the end of her presentation, she provided the slides to the audience
Gemma and the Responsible Generative AI Toolkit
Oscar Wahltinez - Senior Developer Programs Engineer, Responsible AI at Google Research.
Gemma is a family of lightweight, state-of-the-art open models, derived from the same research and technology as the Gemini models, but distinctively free and open-source, driven by the community. Interestingly, today happens to be his birthday, and before diving into his presentation, the entire conference hall wished him a happy birthday.
Oscar began by discussing the history of disruptive innovation in AI, emphasizing the importance of open development, which led to the creation of Gemma as an open model. He highlighted how Gemma is particularly effective for local development without requiring an internet connection. Currently, Gemma 2 is tailored for developers and researchers.
What does the future of AI hold for us
Last but not least, the Panel Discussion on "What Does the Future of AI Hold for Us?" featured Rev Chereuvillikonat, Data Scientist from DoorDash; Anish Shrestha, Software Engineer at Dreamery.ai; and Gitarth Rajneesh Vaishnav, Software Engineer (AI) from DronShield, discussing and sharing their insights on the future of AI. The panel drew considerable interest from the audience, who posed many intriguing questions. One notable takeaway for me was how AI can streamline processes, such as in job hunting, where it doesn't replace human decision-making but aids both employees and recruiters in solving problems quickly and cost-effectively.
Conclusion
As the full-stack developer from Laos PDR, I deeply appreciate the invaluable knowledge and insights gained from the event, which not only opened new vistas of Google technology for my wife but also illuminated the current trends in AI. The opportunity to network with fellow tech enthusiasts and experts was invaluable. I am eager to bring back these learnings, particularly in leadership skills, to benefit my home country and continue my career journey. My heartfelt thanks to GDG Sydney for hosting such an enlightening event, and I look forward to applying these insights in future endeavors!
Reference
Networking is not about just connecting people. It's about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities. - Michele Jennae