History of TAI

We started building out the TAI community on November 2nd, 2023, through Tokyo AI Talks (TAIT), an invite-only community that met every two months over three hours for a series of lightning talks and panels, with the objective of connecting the brightest engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors interested in knowledge sharing, serendipity, and engineering excellence. Among the speakers, we had CTOs of Tokyo-based startups, researchers from top universities, software architects from established tech companies, and other profiles able to contribute a high level of discussion.

TAI Today

Today TAI is a vibrant community passionate about the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning progress, working together to make Tokyo a global AI hub. Currently, we have six interest groups: AMA, AMAJ, AAI, AHR, AIST, and TAIT.

  • This is series of regular workshops and meetups focused on AI and ML applications, less research-oriented. AMA is responsible for making sure the Tokyo AI community is informed on the latest developments in AI and ML, specifically through a more applied and hands-on approach.

  • AMAJ is the Japanese version of AMA, specifically for Japanese speakers. We want to see a more international community in Japan, but we also realize that a lot of research here is being done in Japanese, so some researchers and practitioners are much more comfortable sharing their knowledge in the local language.

  • More advanced discussions on AI from first principles. More academic focused, with various topics from from Mathematics, Physics, Information Theory, Statistical Learning, and Artificial Intelligence. This is not just about the most recent and hyped AI topics, it’s about the foundational research that might be the future of AI.

  • AI and hardware are already intertwined, and being based in a country with strong hardware and robotics knowledge, it’s natural to have a sub-group on these topics.

  • AI Salon is a global community by and for AI-focused founders, builders, investors, and enterprise partners. The format is a monthly in-person event with lightning talks from startups with a presence in Japan, showing the products they are working on to other builders, partners, and investors. We sometimes have also foreign AI startups visiting Japan, as we want to be their lending pad in Tokyo. AI Salon has been launched in Austin (US) by Jeffrey Abbott, GP at Blitzscaling Ventures, who decided to partner for their Tokyo chapter with TAI through the JETRO patronage and DEEPCORE support.

  • TAIT is our invite-only community, with limited seats available for each of the bi-monthly sessions. The value of TAIT is not only in the topics discussed but even more so in the network and in the interactions during the sessions.

Meet the Team

  • Ilya Kulyatin

    FOUNDER

    Fintech and AI entrepreneur with work and academic experience in the US, Netherlands, Singapore, UK, and Japan, with an MSc in Machine Learning from UCL.

  • Michael Makarov

    AMA

    A tech industry veteran with over a decade of experience, Michael built an enterprise startup from scratch and contributed to major tech companies Google and Twitter, developing software used by millions of people. Michael also speaks Japanese, which he learned 20 years ago.

  • Xiaoli Shen

    TAIT

    10+ years of software engineering and AI solutions architecture in companies like Microsoft, AWS, and Fast Retailing, between Germany and Japan, with an academic background in Digital Media (novel interfaces).

  • Craig Sherstan

    AAI

    Research Scientist at Sony AI Tokyo. His current research is on the application of RL to create AI opponents for the video game Gran Turismo. Previously, he completed his PhD in Reinforcement Learning at the University of Alberta, Canada as part of the Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural Control Lab. Craig has past experience working with human-computer interfaces, robotics, and various software industries.

  • Donald Murataj

    AIST

    Leveraging his Actuarial Science degree from the University of Calgary, Donald had a successful career as a senior data scientist, having built software for insurers like Allstate, Geico, Tokio Marine, State Farm, and more. He then took a bold leap—moving to Tokyo and launching his own software and analytics consulting firm. Aside from his technical capabilities, Donald also has extensive experience in community building, heading sponsorships for YYC DataCon, Canada’s top data-themed convention

  • Sana Talmoudi

    AIST

    Sana is the CTO of D'isum, where she focuses on big data analysis, using high-speed algorithms and visualization technology to detect early signs of deterioration for application in maintenance and healthcare. Sana is experienced in sensor data analysis, data engineering, and IoT solutions design.

  • Shiro Takagi

    AMAJ

    Independent researcher specializing in Machine Learning, with an MS from the University of Tokyo and a BA in Economics from Keio University. Currently, Shiro is engaged in research and development to create an autonomous artificial researcher.

  • Henry Cui

    AMAJ

    AI entrepreneur with a Ph.D., MS, and BSc in Computer Science from the University of Tokyo. Extensive research experience at RIKEN AIP. Henry co-founded a university-based AI startup specializing in Computer Vision using deep learning, where he served as the CTO and worked on research and MLOps.

  • Apurv Saha

    AHR

    Robotics Researcher currently working on Autonomous Indoor Navigation using Audio-Vision Language Models at Tokyo Tech.

  • Yusuke Kaga

    AIST

    Yusuke works for JETRO, a government-based organization connecting foreign and Japanese companies, with the mission of promoting open innovation in Japanese corporations through startup ecosystem building.

  • Kaitlan Melone

    AMA

    Kate is the General Manager at the AI Industry Foundation, and co-organizer of the recent TAIS Conference 2024, Kaitlan is currently working on building a referral and knowledge sharing network in the AI industry, as well as actively contributing to Tokyo AI as a co-organizer.

  • Hiroshi Nemoto

    AIST

    Hiroshi is a graduate of The University of Tokyo and an AI community builder with DEEPCORE, where he’s working on an ecosystem involving early-stage startups, companies collaborating with startups, as well as other stakeholders.

  • Eric Platon

    AAI

    Eric is a software engineer and computer scientist with an Artificial Intelligence background (GOFAI and Artificial Neural Networks). Beside the artificial world, Eric is interested in all forms of intelligences, Earth & space, exobiology, self-assembly, complex and adaptive systems. Eric is also an entrepreneur, and co-founded several startups in the UK, EU, and Japan.

  • Sam Passaglia

    AAI

    Lead Machine Learning Engineer at Elyza, where he develops and trains foundation models tailored for Japanese business usage. Previously, he was a research scientist at the University of Tokyo, where he earned a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Chicago.

  • Kai Arulkumaran

    AAI

    Kai is a Research Team Lead at Araya. He has previously worked at DeepMind, Microsoft Research, Facebook AI Research, Twitter Cortex, and NNAISENSE. His research interests are deep learning, reinforcement learning, evolutionary computation, and theoretical neuroscience.

  • Colin Rowat

    AMA

    Colin Rowat (PhD Economics, Cambridge) is a Senior Research Scientist at the Rakuten Institute of Technology, has been a fellow of The Alan Turing Institute, a University of Birmingham lecturer, Founder/CEO of a Fintech, wrote for the Economist Intelligence Unit, presented evidence to the US House of Lords and the US Senate. Colin published on Explainable AI in NeurIPS and ICLR.

  • Stefano Zangiacomi

    AHR

    Engineer specialized in camera and image signal processing within the automotive industry. Outside of work, Stefano is crafting an AI-enabled hardware assistant to reshape human- computer engagement using intuitive voice and vision technologies.

  • Russ Islam

    AHR

    Researcher on Condensed and Soft Matter Physics and Reinforcement Learning at the University of Tokyo, former Robotics Engineer and IoT entrepreneur. BS/MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford.

  • Hiroki Nakayama

    TAIT

    AI engineer, MSc in Applied Physics from Stanford and BEng from Keio. Hiroki is currently working in MLOps and AI Infrastructure, with a keen interest in stimulating the open-source community in Japan.