How do you see machine learning making an impact on the future?
It is always hard to predict the future in these kinds of fields, so I will point to the past. The past three years have been very promising in terms of advancements in machine learning. For example, I am still astounded how much better Google Translate has become in comparison to what it was two years ago. If new advances are made at the same pace, the future will be full of machine learning systems and they will be a major driving force for economic development. What I’m not too sure about is the amount of time it will take for new technologies to be implemented. At the moment, small companies have a hard time grasping the possibilities of machine learning while many major companies use it to their advantage. In my eyes, this problem needs to be addressed since it potentially disrupts our markets and results in monopolies. With this in mind, I think machine learning has tremendous potential for almost all fields, especially when we as programmers can educate all the small and middle-sized companies about the opportunities they offer.
Do you have something planned for after you finish your Master’s?
Right now, I really do not plan anything for the long run. It mainly depends on my work and research. I don’t see myself as somebody who lives in the same place for a long time, so everything is possible. Of course, staying in St. Petersburg or Russia for a little longer is also an option.
What was the key factor in your decision to come to St. Petersburg?
Mainly the program. I really wanted to study something related to machine learning or artificial intelligence. The program in St. Petersburg sounded good since, in Europe, most programs featured many attractive words, but were not very practice-oriented. They were all pretty new at the time. To be honest, the country was not really the main focus to me. Although I had an unexplainable affection to Russia for most parts of my life. Maybe because throughout my life I’ve seen this giant unknown landmass on my globe. But who knows.
In your opinion, is there a difference between Russian and German culture?
To be honest, I have a hard time answering this question. The thing is that people from my generation, with whom I mainly interact, all grew up with the internet. That somehow led to the fact that we are way more similar and have more things in common than people from the older generations. I don’t see any major cultural differences between Germany and Russia. Only variations. One variation exists, for example, in human interaction. Russians tend to be a little more reserved than Germans, and we are already famous for not really being very open. However, as soon as they know you better, they quickly warm up to you as well.
What was the most surprising thing you discovered in Russia?
Two words. Soviet. Architecture. Especially the government buildings, they really surprised me. Their style is extremely different from what you can find in Germany and quite frankly very intimidating and good-looking at the same time. Not all buildings are like this, of course. However, occasionally you can spot a building in this style that leaves you amazed. This keeps every walk through a new part of the city exciting.
Do you have any places in St. Petersburg you would like to recommend?
I’m not good at tourist attractions. I hardly visit anything in this category and can’t really recommend any, either. Talking about my personal recommendations in St. Petersburg, my favorite places would be restaurants and cafes. In St. Petersburg, you can always find something new and tasty that you have never tried before and that’s perfect. From American BBQ to Japanese tea houses, everything is only a few metro stations away. If I had to name only a few places, I would probably recommend Jiva Burgers (a vegan burger chain) and the new food court at Galleria Mall near Vosstaniya Square. Always worth a trip.
Written by Ethan Avila
