Florin Coman, the missing link between The Bucharest National Theatre and Bosch

I have known Florin Coman (FC) for many years: banker, writer, playwright, I read his books, I was in the hall when his plays were played. He recently wrote to me from Germany, where he moved to work in artificial intelligence for Bosch… (GB – George Butunoiu)

GB: Hi Florin! Do I understand correctly that you will be the keynote speaker at an Artificial Intelligence Summit? Didn’t you use to write plays, books and articles? And weren’t you a banker, even with managerial experience?

FC: I haven’t written in a long time and I don’t intend to if people don’t stop talking and start listening. In fact, during the past 3 years I have written codes and a research paper in Conversational AI, and the banks don’t attract me anymore because I personally don’t see opportunities in the future. And yes, I was invited to the European Conversational AI & Chatbot Summit in Edinburgh, initially as a speaker, and now I’m even offered to close the summit. I am honored and quite surprised.

GB: But I know that your plays are still being played at the National Theater, so maybe some are even listening. And keep in mind that we are during a pandemic. Why are you surprised?

FC: I will try delicately to avoid entering the artistic area. It’s history. Now I will focus 100% on my new job. Why am I surprised? Even though I now work in Berlin and am a Conversational AI Architect at Bosch SO, I still think that we Romanians have certain complexes when we receive such an opportunity. I have been invited for the research I have done in recent years, and now I will be able to represent one of the largest companies in the world and even pass on the final conclusions of the Summit. I don’t have much time because over 50 speakers will attend the Summit, both university professors and experts from the big companies in the world, but I still have some emotions considering the responsibility of being a main speaker.

GB: What will you talk about at the Summit? Will you talk about your Bosch projects? Will you talk about Artificial Intelligence as an industry in Romania?

FC: Is there such a thing in Romania? You probably realize that I left also because I realized that there is no future. It’s true, Romanians are good even in AI and I take this opportunity to invite them at the Summit, as it is a special event for experts, but there is no industry in Romania. We brag about some unicorns, decacorns and certain big companies, but from where I see things, I haven’t noticed anything organized that would bring real benefits for the country.

Though I do not wish to go further into the topic, I will however mention that I am glad to talk about my Bosch projects because both what I did during the research period and what I am doing now complement each other perfectly. Bosch is an ultra-open company for automation and as I am in a global division, I realize every day that I do exactly what I have done in the last 3 years, but at a different level.

GB: So, what will be your message at the Summit? It will be optimistic? You know that there are some restrictions on the use of robots in everyday life, and people still prefer to talk to their peers.

FC: I will be brief in my presentation at the Summit. AI can be done in emerging countries and for languages listed as low-resourced in terms of available databases and infrastructure. How can this be done? With hybrid solutions! If end-to-end solutions are preferred for the languages of developed countries, where we have fewer resources, we must resort to more complex but implementable foundations and solutions. I will present at the Summit the solutions I have thought of, tested ones, and I hope I will receive positive reactions.

As for trends and realities. I noticed interesting topics in the agenda of the Summit. I am convinced that anyone who is interested will find answers to both questions and certain reservations about AI. I am also interested in listening to some university professors that I have been following for some time.

GB: Can you tell me something about your Bosch projects?

FC: I can’t reveal much, I’m just telling you that we’re working on something revolutionary. Bosch has all the tools to implement any desired project, and the results will surely come soon.

GB: Tell me some details about the Summit. How can you participate? Will you be present in person in Scotland?

FC: Yes, as a main speaker I will have to be present there and everything will be organized in such a way that all Covid requirements are met. So, we will not be many, and it will be challenging to share experiences, but I am excited because it will take place in a location that belongs to the University of Edinburgh, and this kind of combination of university town, history and openness to AI attracts me a lot.

However, most of the participants will be entering online using appropriate platforms for such kind of Summits. Participation is costly, but it’s reasonably priced and I think each of us needs to be interested in what’s going on in this area. Sooner or later, like it or not, AI will be an important part of our lives and it is better to be prepared. And I have a message for Romanians, experts or not in AI, learn to listen because you don’t know everything. Nobody knows, and this is the first step. Otherwise, we will stay where we are, and we will not go through the phase of development. Sorry, but I’m obsessed with this too. I had to say it.

GB: Please give us a link to the event and details and thanks for the discussion.

FC: Thank you! The summit will take place on March 1-2, 2022 and you can find all the details on https://theeuropeanchatbot.com/