Introduction
Welcome to my industry talks section. I have given many talks over the span of my career, mostly involving computer vision research and applications, as well as miscellaneous A.I. and gaming presentations. Enjoy!
DroidCon NYC 2025: Handwriting Recognition On the New York Times Crosswords (June 26th, 2025)
Video to be published soon!
Me meeting Jake Wharton
Being given the honor to speak and attend droidcon NYC 2025 was absolutely unbelievable, especially while helping to represent The New York Times along with my fantastic colleagues. In all my years as an Android Developer, I can say that this conference reminded me the most of why it's crucial to stay engaged in the Android and mobile community, and double down. The passion and incredible enthusiasm from the speakers, attendees, and staff itself was unprecedented for a conference.
On top of that, I got the pleasure of speaking to the absolute top tier of Android Development, including Jake Wharton, Stacy Devino, Gabriel Peal, and so many more fantastic people that help to keep the Android Community afloat and welcoming for developers and seasoned vets alike. Intersecting with FlutterCon, I met some incredible people in the Flutter space as well got a much deeper appreciation for the role flutter can and played in cross platform Mobile development. I'll go into all of this in a longer post.
As to the topic I was speaking on, which involved AI image recognition and android development, the intersection of the two big interests of mine, I was nervous at first that some of the ideas might be too esoteric or too off the beaten path for this conference. But the reception was amazing and just helped to emphasize the kindness and supportive and enthusiastic nature of the mobile Android community.
Looking forward to continue to stay engaged and building more Android, on device integrations as well. On that note, I'm so glad that the Android community approaches AI with sincere and genuine interest, and with realism. The talks at conference really helped drive home some of the points that we as developers should seek to understand and embrace the future of technology with curiosity, optimism, and vigilance. Looking forward to more Droidcon s in the future.
Article for my work in Nieman Lab: https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/01/how-the-new-york-times-is-building-experimental-handwriting-recognition-for-its-crosswords-app/
My Talk Link: https://nyc.droidcon.com/speakers/shafik-quoraishee
New York Times Link: https://open.nytimes.com/experimenting-with-handwriting-recognition-for-new-york-times-crossword-a78e08fec08f
Video to be posted later on!
AI and Game Theory: A Case Study on NYT's Connections (June 5th, 2025)
AI and Game Theory: A Case Study on NYT's Connections
Speaker: Shafik Quoraishee
Room: Foothill G 1&2: Design Engineering
Time: 5 Jun 2025 12:15 PM
This session will examine the interplay between human intuition and artificial intelligence in puzzle-solving, using the popular New York Times Connections game as a practical case study.
We'll investigate how gameplay can be systematically evaluated through AI algorithms, exploring machine learning strategies such as clustering, semantic mapping, and natural language processing.
Attendees will gain insights into building AI-driven puzzle solvers, learn methods for quantitatively assessing gameplay complexity, and discuss the potential impacts of AI on puzzle game design and player engagement.
Talk / Design Engineering
Level: Intermediate
Scope: Technical deep dive
Building Mobile Games for Legacy Brands like the NBA, The New York Times, and Wordle May 14th, 2025
I had the pleasure of doing an interview on my career thus far on the Brave Technologist Podcast! I got to reflect on my past years and essentially what lead me up to working on the amazing team I'm working on now.
Truly grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to the various large scale projects that I have been involved in and experience the dynamic nature of the media industry and its many facets.
We touched on many angles, from game development to the future of technology and AI (my other favorite topic). Thanks to Luke Mulks and Sam Laliberte for the opportunity to speak to these subjects. Not to sound trite, but most definitely looking forward to what the future brings!
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15FVWRzBfGE&t=81s
Link: https://brave.com/podcast/e71/
Google I/O - May 20th, 2025
Ecstatic to have been invited to Google I/O 2025, which to me has been one of the most consequential tech events in the modern era. I know that's a competitive statement to make, but given the advancements in AI, On-Device Models, and entire radical shifts in UX paradigms through frameworks like Material 3 Expressive, it's beyond clear we are riding the exponential curve. Not to be hyperbolic. Perhaps I will eat my words and it will all be sinusoidal :shrug:
Either way, as being both an Android and ML developer, the number of integrations that AI has unlocked is staggering, and I mean that generally speaking. Not only in the Agentic coding and app development space, but in the ability to rapidly iterate on products, and able to have stable development workflows: It's astounding.
To the event itself, I've not yet been to the Shoreline Ampitheater and this was the perfect excuse. The open air nature of the event with multiple demo booths that let you try out the new Veo/Imagen Models and XR experiences. Blessed to be a part of this piece of tech history.
#googleio #io2025 #ai #android #mobile #genai
A Discussion with Cade Metz on AI Image, Video and Other Synthetic Media, April 24th, 2025
On April 24th, 2025, it was an absolute pleasure to host Cade Metz, renowned Technology Reporter, at our latest meeting of The New York Times AI Community of Practice, which my group and I have the privilege of facilitating. Cade led an engaging and informative discussion focused on AI-generated images, video, and synthetic media, sharing valuable perspectives drawn from his extensive reporting and expertise in technology.
The insights Cade shared with us were truly impressive and thought-provoking. He provided a rich historical context around AI’s evolution, highlighting key milestones and transformative moments that have shaped today’s technology landscape.
He also addressed the societal impacts accompanying these rapid advancements, offering practical approaches on how we might thoughtfully respond and adapt to the profound changes we’re seeing unfold daily.
A special thank you to Miranda Fox, whose leadership, enthusiasm, and organizational support were instrumental in facilitating this session. Miranda continues to inspire our group and helps us maintain momentum as we organize these engaging, informative gatherings.
We look forward to continuing these discussions, fostering meaningful conversations, and bringing impactful voices like Cade’s into our community. inspiration for keep this ball rolling!
AI An Overview for the Eng X 2025 Conference at The New York Times, February 24th, 2025
For the great joy of sharing knowledge on AI and AI models and applications, it was truly an honor to speak on it at the EngX conference at the New York Times with the brilliant Miranda Fox.
It's really what lies under the hood, that makes all the foundation models we deal with a regular basis tick, that interests me deeply. That so much emergent mind bending revolution can come from a few rudimentary components connected to each other truely will really take decades of a analysis to fully appreciate.
When they call this the new industrial revolution, without hyperbole, they weren't kidding. I plan to be riding, surfing, cruising, and hopefully help guiding this wave until it skips the shore entirely and crests off into a parallel universe.
I hope to help inspire, educate, and propagate as much in the way of positivity and growth in this area as I can, while I'm at it.
AI Summit at New York City, December 12th, 2024, Talk on Gaming and AI At Jacob Javitz Center
Last week I had the privilege of speaking on the GDC stage of the Jacob Javitz Center as part of the AI Summit in NYC!
Link to Talk: https://newyork.theaisummit.com/the-ai-summit-new-york-2024/enhancing-gaming-experiences-the-role-of-ai-in-super-resolution-character-interaction-and-narrative-design
It was an absolutely amazing event, which included everything from the setup and layout of the conference to the vast array of industry insights and connections made on so many important topics regarding the Tech Industry, the Games Industry, and the continued impact of AI on it.
Just being able to to witness and participate in this incredible new wave of the trifecta of standard, generative, and agentic AI, along with unprecedented level innovation being unlocked is truly an awe-inspiring experience. A big thank you from me goes to all the organizers and professionals who were present, as well as the other incredible speakers and panelists who help to make the event much more than memorable.
I would include interacting with the famous Boston Dynamics Robot, and several other other incredible robotics and automated platforms as part of this experience!
Model Performance and Evaluation, Post Production Challenges at AI4: August 9th, 2024
Attending and being able to do a panel at Ai4 - Artificial Intelligence Conferences in Las Vegas, on Model Performance and Monitoring was fantastic, and made my summer! An added bonus was to lead one of the Lunch With Experts in Computer Vision sessions, which is a subject that was a near and dear to me and I believe will only escalate as pure text based systems give way to full fledged multimodal agentic systems.
Also it was a once in a lifetime oppourtunity, to watch Geoffrey Hinton, the "God Father of AI", speak. It cannot be understated how hi algorithmic work on back-propagation, the transformer architecture, and computer vision, literally shaped the entire current world and landscape of A.I. as it is.
Link to Talk: https://ai4.app.swapcard.com/widget/event/ai4-2024/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfMTkwMzA4NA==
Neural Style Transfer Applications for Artist Compoensation: June 16th, 2024
Speaking on the principles of Neural Style Transfer Last week was amazing as well as being able to work on a philanthropic and educational AI Project. It was exciting to be able to build a tool which could help artists potentially contend with and understand the problem.
Thanks to Adam, Dilek and the Charming data project for making this a reality.
Link: https://charming-data.circle.so/c/ai-python-projects/front-end-for-neural-style-transfer
MultiModal Machine Learning At PyData on: June 15th, 2024
My talk on Multi-Modal Machine Learning at presented PyData NYC in June 2024. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: the rapid escalation in multimodal applications and companies investing in multi-modality demonstrates that the direction that AI is taking extends far past LLMs on their own.
It's a constant struggle to re-assess, at any moment in time, one's knowledge in the field as being sufficient to be able to stay abreast of this runaway train. Still, happy for the opportunities to discuss these topics!
Link: https://www.meetup.com/pydatanyc/events/301135372/?eventOrigin=group_events_list
Mobile Accessibility Tools And Advanced AI, for A11yNYC: July 16, 2024
It was an honor to discuss and demonstrate mobile accessibility features like camera switch access, and hardware switches last week at A11y NYC, with a focus on primary accessibility tools on iOS android, but also on quick setup and configuration options and some best practices.
There are so many interesting potential tools that go unnoticed that are available users every day from their mobile devices. These features can really make a positive and enabling impact on the lives of app users, and I'm ecstatic that forums exist in which one can dig deeper into these options and where one can reach more people with this knowledge.
Link: https://www.meetup.com/a11ynyc/events/301603940/
Publication: https://equalentry.com/mobile-accessibility-tools-camera-switches/
Lecture on Computer Vision Fundamentals at Mindstone on June 5th, 2024
Here is an introductory talk on computer vision I did at a company called Mindstone in June 2024.
I'm excited to see how the field of computer vision, especially in its application to robotics and other areas burgeons, and am happy to share some of my research work and insights with those are embarking further upon this AI Renaissance. And ofc ourse to underscore it always, the ship must set forth in an ethical manner.
Link: https://community.mindstone.com/events/ny_ai_meetup_june_24
Talk on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANS) for Women Who Code: February 2nd, 2024
I was honored to do a deep dive talk on Generative Adverserial Networks and their evolution over the last decade for Women Who Code. WWC Is a pivotal organization that has helped countless women find their foot and career path in the Tech Industry.
I was glad to be able to give this presentation, especially this year when the stakes of AI’s rapid evolution couldn’t be higher..
Link: https://sessionize.com/s/squoraishee/unveiling-the-shadows-of-a.i-the-power-of-generati/101333
MakerWeek 2024 Demo on MultiModal AI Agent at The New York Times Center: August 1st, 2024
It was so neat to be able to present my work yet again at the The New York Times MakerWeek 2024 on stage at the Times Center!
Last year was my first year doing it, and it was such a fun experience, that I felt as if I needed to make a regular yearly habit out of it.
Lecture on AI And Video Games for The New York Times Makerweek: August 28th, 2024
For Makerweek 2024, I presented a talk on A.I. and video games. I touched upon the history of A.I. and it’s humble beginnings as simple finite state automata in Pacman, to infinitely more complex incarnations such the systems that are able to win at Starcraft consistently, (Alpha Star) and beat world champions at Go. (Alpha Go).
Though most of the techniques in A.I. have evolved to using some sort of deep learning architecture, at least of 2024, it cannot be stressed that techniques such as Behavior Trees, Navigation Meshes, FSMs, and HTNs still play a vital role in determining game mechanics and character behavior.
Excited to see the world of generative A.I. continue to have massive impacts in the video game industry.
Link: https://sessionize.com/s/squoraishee/generative-ai-and-video-games/102420
Bits 2024 Conference at Flat Iron School - October 25th, 2024
Excited to be speaking at the @BletchleyInstitute's Technology Summit hashtag#BITS2024 on October 25th at @Flatiron School in NYC! Looking forward to connecting with fellow innovators in the tech community and explore the latest in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision.
My talk will be covering some of the more interesting recent topics in computer vision, from the model and application perspective. It seems that, every week there's an announcement on multi-modal and particularly vision based AI application which blows minds. Thus it makes sense for understanding of some of it's inner workings and principles.
Link: https://www.bletchley.org/
The Waiting Room Podcast: Episode 1 - June 10th, 2024
AI/ML Conversations Meet at Capital One - On Multi-Modal Machine Learning Part 2 - November 11th, 2024
The New York AI/ML Conversations Group is hands down an amazing AI event, bringing enthusiasts from all over the AI space to connect and discuss topics on a deep level, and still widely accessible level.
I had finally gotten around to the 2nd part of my staple Multi-Modal AI talk, where I went deeper into CrossModal Transformers, and the way their usage and their development is driving the multi-modal application landscape.
Coming from a research and engineering background, it has always facinated me to no end how ambitious and talented people are able to develop such incredible systems from somewhat basic principles.
Thus I always strive to do a bit of a deep dive on these topics, especially with the intent of spreading awareness and understanding of just how much incredible research brought us here to this very day. It's also a good way to keep ahead of the impending and frankly unfathomable advancements in technology that are just waiting over the horizon.
Thank you Vladimir Eremin, Ian Howe, Koen Douterloigne, Anna Leonenko for running this incredible event, and excited for attending the next several talks!
Link: https://www.meetup.com/new-york-ai-ml-conversations/events/304029004/
Experimentation With Handwriting on the New York Times Crossword
I explored the ability to write in The New York Times Crosswords app on our Android Games App using AI and Machine Learning. I was honored to share my platform specific experience implementing on-device ML onto the Android Crosswords app.
Below are the coverage on these apps:
Publication on Nieman Lab: Article on Handwriting Recognition in The New York Times Crosswords on Niemann Lab.
Publication on The New York Times: Article on Handwriting Recognition in The New York Times Crosswords on The New York Times