ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT): GDG Islamabad in collaboration with Women Techmakers and the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized I/O extended Islamabad 2024 here at ICCI auditorium.
The event served as a platform to celebrate tech enthusiasts and encourage them to embrace their aspirations, ideas, and dreams while exploring the latest advancements in Google technologies. GDG Islamabad meticulously crafted an agenda featuring keynotes, fireside chats, sessions discussing the latest tech advancements, as well as technical and non-technical workshops ensuring an unforgettable experience for all attendees.
Speaking on the occasion GDG Islamabad Co-Managers Ali Naqi & Sarwat Rizvi, discussed the impact of the GDG community over the years, the purpose of diversity amongst the team as well as the audience, which reinstated the message that the gender diversity gap in tech is very vast, and such conferences can act as a driving force in not only bridging this gender gap but also driving the technological advancements within the country and putting Pakistan at the forefront.
The opening keynote featured Muhammad Usman (Convener Software Development Committee @ICCI), who welcomed the audience to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and highlighted the importance of bringing together the tech community.
Following the opening remarks, Janise Tan (Head of Developer Ecosystem – Southeast Asia & South Asia Frontier @Google), provided a captivating overview of the recent Google I/O event, the latest developer products, hands-on learning opportunities, and Google’s commitment to fostering a more diverse and inclusive tech industry through initiatives that empower women in tech. She also discussed the upcoming Gemini API Developer Competition, ending on August 12th. The aim of this competition is to use the evolving GenAI to propose solutions to real-world problems worldwide.
The conversation on AI advancements continued with Mashhood Rastgar (Head of Engineering @Taleemabad | Google Developer Expert) who shared his expertise on making AI models more accessible and interpretable. He explored large language models (LLMs), the importance of learning, mental models, as well as the principles of Responsible AI.
Further exploring the AI landscape, Tehreem Rasul (Senior ML Engineer @Red Buffer) joined a captivating fireside chat discussing the evolving advancements of women in machine learning, her personal journey within the field, and how the women in ML influenced her to further her career. Next, Aqsa Kausar (Tech ML Lead @Red Buffer) shared her extensive experience in AI projects, including recommended systems and Generative AI. Her session provided attendees with valuable insights on VLMs, WebLI, and neural networks. The event also featured a hands-on learning workshop on Building no-code applications with AppSheet and Google Cloud AI by M Hasnain Khalid (CEO HKS TechLabs).
Arooj Anwar (Community Builder @ CreativeMornings | Content Strategist @Frontmatter) led an interactive workshop that focused on highlighting the power of storytelling and acknowledging diverse perspectives. Through her engaging activities, like the way a blasphemous claim “Biryani is overrated!” is understood, her session was an interactive and captivating lesson on the purpose of how we portray ourselves and percieve others.
The last workshop featured Kamran Z. Rizvi (Co-Founder | Senior Consultant | Executive Coach | Lead Trainer @Carnelian and Mentor @School of Leadership) leveraged his expertise in cross-cultural management and leadership to deliver an interactive workshop on public speaking and leadership skills. He engaged the audience by teaching them what it means to be a leader and the key to public speaking, his workshop was a fan favourite amongst attendees.
The closing keynote featured esteemed guest Engr. Azhar Ul Islam Zafar (Vice President @ICCI) who expressed how these conferences help equip professionals and students alike, with the necessary skills that can not only put a dent in the technological ecosystem, but also drive the country to its success.
Lastly, Ms. Aisha Humera Moriani (Additional Secretary @Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication) signified the importance of the collaboration of governments with communities to bring students and professionals into the forefront of tech innovation with more opportunities,
Google Developmer Groups Islamabad extends their sincere gratitude to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce for their invaluable support. Exciting giveaways were offered throughout the day to further incentivize audience participation.
The event also benefited tremendously from the contributions of media partner We Talk Startups, and community partners WomenInTechPK, Creative Mornings Islamabad, Sybrid, open Islamabad, Metrix Pakistan, and G digital.
