Sindhu Ramachandran, currently based in Trivandrum, leads the AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) at Quest Global with over 29 years of massive experience in several different verticals, such as software engineering, medical imaging, and hi-tech. Breaking the barriers and busting stereotypes, Sindhu has made a place for herself in the industry, delivering the most innovative and intelligent AI solutions in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and NLP through proof of concepts, pilots, onsite AI workshops, consultancy, and proactive proposals. As an advocate of developing emotion-driven AI solutions, NASSCOM recently recognized her as a Woman Role Model ER&D.  

Can you tell us about your AI journey?    

Although I had learned AI and expert systems as part of my engineering course, it wasn't until 2015 that I could translate my academic knowledge in AI into real-world applications. So, my real journey in AI started with the initiative in Deep Learning at Quest Global in 2015 with a 2-member team. We focused on how deep learning can solve computer vision use cases. Those initial years were filled with knowledge and experimentation. From optimizing production processes to enhancing customer experiences, we explored various applications, constantly pushing the boundaries of what was possible. I led the development of more than ten technology demonstrator projects to build deep learning-based solutions in Healthcare, Automotive, and HiTech domains, contributing to winning customer projects in AI/Deep Learning. We have dedicated AI teams for many prestigious customers in these domains. We have many industrial customers, and the company has mechanical engineering DNA. We try to marry industrial and AI technologies to bring value to industrial customers. We are also geared towards implementing best practices in these technology areas through the development of accelerators, blueprint solutions and technology demonstrators using the latest trends in AI in combination with other technologies, such as Augmented Reality. I also learned how we could stay up to date in disruptive technologies like AI through partnerships and alliances. Setting up AI labs with the proper infrastructure for training AI models, offering internships to engineering students, and sharing learnings and ideas through thought leadership articles and participation in national and international conferences became part of my professional life. Today, as a team, we are looking into the immense potential of generative AI and studying how it can bring value to our customers and internally in the organization. Looking back, the journey has been enriching. From starting with a spark of curiosity to leading a passionate team, I've witnessed the transformative power of AI firsthand. The challenges we encountered were numerous, but the satisfaction of overcoming them and seeing our solutions positively impact the business has been genuinely motivating.   

What is your area of expertise in AI, and what made you choose it?   

I did my Masters in Digital Image Processing and was particularly interested in medical image processing. That's what motivated me to join Quest Global, as the company is committed to solving complex industry challenges for medical imaging & diagnostics OEMs across the globe. I consider myself lucky because from my first assignment, the projects I have been working on involved implementing image processing algorithms and their optimization in medical imaging and related areas. This made my transition to executing deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) projects faster and more accessible. It helped me to efficiently upskill myself in convolutional neural networks and similar deep learning algorithms and understand their potential in computer vision use cases. The ever-evolving world of AI piqued my interest in generative AI. The possibility of creating entirely new content or translating across modalities sparked a new area of exploration for me. Today, my expertise lies in deep learning and computer vision, with a growing interest in generative AI. This combination allows me to approach problems from diverse angles, constantly seeking innovative solutions.   

How did generative AI impact your field of work?    

Generative AI has opened unprecedented opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and creativity. Quest Global is an engineering services provider, and our customers also understand the potential of generative AI across the value chain. Development of more advanced and efficient algorithms, the advent of open source and on-prem foundation models, advances in the speed and memory footprint   

of algorithms, and managed services from cloud providers have all contributed to the increase in generative AI usage for solving real-world use cases. Generative AI-powered applications can enhance productivity and user satisfaction across various industries. Examples include information retrieval from engineering documents, generative AI-based chatbots to assist service personnel in troubleshooting, Predictive Analytics, etc. It can be used to create synthetic data or enhance existing datasets when obtaining extensive, diverse, or annotated datasets is challenging.   

We have started various focused campaigns within the organization targeting the funnel of judiciously evaluated use cases. Voice of the customer, business value, aspects related to infrastructure requirements, apprehensions about confidential data going to the cloud, and ethical issues are some of the many factors we have considered.   

We also have well-crafted plans to make our engineers learn about this technology and understand its pros and cons. Of course, we must consider the risks and challenges associated with this technology. Organizations must establish clear ethical guidelines and implement strict quality control measures to mitigate the risks related to content generation. To fully harness the potential of generative AI while mitigating associated risks, we have formulated a holistic approach with a well-defined strategy, data and security policies, perfect governance, and commitment to responsible AI.   

Describe some challenges you have faced in reaching where you are now.    

I am lucky and privileged to work for a company that provides many growth opportunities to its employees, enabling them to follow their passion and aspirations in engineering. My managers have guided and supported me and tried to bring out the best in me. Without my family and supervisors' support, I would not have reached this far in a cutting-edge technology domain. I have also had opportunities to mentor and guide passionate engineers. Of course, there will be challenges. Staying up to date in a continuously evolving and disruptive field needs a lot of learning and experimentation, which is also within stringent timelines and shouldering technical ownership. All these have molded me into the person I am today. And I have learned that if you are willing to go that extra mile with complete dedication and a strong desire to learn, with the courage to uphold your principles and a belief in your capability, you can have a rewarding journey.    

Do you see enough female leadership roles in corporates? In your opinion, what should change?    

While much effort is underway to bring more females to leadership roles, women hold only 29% of senior management positions. Many factors can be attributed to this, like lack of right mentorship, support from family, unconscious bias, etc. Women have innate skills to build an efficient team on the strong pillars of collaboration, discipline, and multitasking. It is encouraging to see that in the corporate world, women are valued for their open attitude, organized work culture, empathy, and listening skills. Companies are ensuring that they include diversity and inclusion initiatives and set ambitious goals for female leadership representation. Offering flexible work options like remote work, parental leave, and childcare support can help women balance work and personal life. They provide opportunities for women to connect with experienced leaders whose technical contributions and management skills have made them role models who can accelerate their career progression. Exposure to leadership training can start right from college days.   

What do you want to say to women who wish to build careers in AI and other tech-related fields?    

Technology is progressing exponentially, and the tech industry may seem intimidating sometimes. But the world needs creative thinkers and diverse perspectives, and remember, every successful leader starts somewhere. So, start by having a clear plan in mind. Embrace your dreams and passion. Defining a set of intelligent goals would make the path easier. If you know what you want to accomplish, your love will automatically drive you to attain it. Be a consistent and continuous learner and practice learning, unlearning, relearning, and adapting. You may face many hurdles and adversarial situations – but learn from them. Make it a habit to participate in technical meetups, conferences, hackathons, etc., giving you immense exposure to technical use cases and their solutions and an opportunity to network with like-minded people, share ideas, and learn. Be ready to work hard and be determined to achieve your goals. Try to be part of networks and connect with women leaders who have already made their mark in technology, who can mentor you and share their experiences. Their valuable guidance can give you a different perspective, open doors to opportunities, and provide support and encouragement.