At Deltatre, Hadi "wears two distinct hats", as he puts it. Firstly, as a R&D Senior Machine Learning Engineer within the Deltatre Innovation Lab. Secondly, within Deltatre Sport Innovations, as a Member of Technical Staff at the Technology pillar.

"I'm involved in pioneering the next wave of technological advancements. In the Lab, we are working on novel technologies and AI, with a particular focus on machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and data analysis from my side. It’s a hub of innovation where we're constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible with our products, ensuring the company remains at the forefront of emerging technologies.

In the Sport Innovations team, I collaborate closely with directors across various teams, contributing to the technical strategic direction. My role involves providing a nuanced perspective on technological strategy, working hand-in-hand with development teams and senior management to shape the future offerings of our unit.

In essence, whether I'm immersed with the Innovation Lab or strategizing with the leaders of Sport Innovations, my overarching objective remains consistent: to drive innovation and propel the company to new heights of success with keeping technology and products updated."

What year did you start working at Deltatre, and which hub are you currently based in?

"My journey here began in 2023. Currently, I’m based in Prague, where I have the privilege of collaborating with an international team spanning across the world, particularly with Italy, England, and Germany. Despite being rooted in Prague, the beauty of modern work culture allows me to collaborate with colleagues dispersed across the globe."

Could you describe what a typical day or week entails in your roles?

"The rhythm of my days is blending with collaboration consistently. It all kicks off with our Lab Daily meeting, a morning ritual where we gather to synchronize our efforts, reflecting on the previous day's triumphs and charting our course for the day ahead. Our weekly planning session on Mondays sets the tone for the week's upcoming tasks, while our Friday status check ensures we're staying on track and celebrating our wins!

Then, within my role in Sport Innovations, we have a weekly sync under the technology pillar. We exchange updates and insights, ensuring everyone's aligned.

Acting as a liaison between the Lab and the D3SI, I'm always on hand to provide guidance and expertise on our latest efforts inside the Lab, or contributing by my ideas for the current activities happening inside the unit from a management perspective.

At the heart of my day, the 'meaty' tasks keep me on my toes. Whether it’s diving deep into code to implement a new feature, designing the architecture for the desired solution, or exploring the latest in machine learning; no two days are ever the same.

Amid the hustle and bustle, there's always room for collaboration and camaraderie. Whether we’re sharing our latest findings or huddling up to tackle impending challenges, teamwork is at the core of everything we do - having multiple usual syncs during a day is the norm. After all, it's the collective genius of our diverse team that propels us forward!

Which other teams at Deltatre work most closely with yours?

The beauty of being part of the Innovation Lab and additionally wearing multiple hats is the opportunity to collaborate across various units within our organization. One remarkable partnership has been with Sportec Solutions (STS) and Vieww, where we’ve been at the forefront of developing a next-generation data solution, particularly in video analysis.

Furthermore, I'm involved within Deltatre Digital Streaming and their product management team as well. Together with the Phoenix development team and Infrastructure team, we've collaborated on a project centered around generative AI, aiming to enrich content and enhance the editorial experience. Our joint efforts have been instrumental in shaping the future of digital streaming and delivering new AI-based solutions to our customers.

What is it like to be part of the evolution of Deltatre's products?

Well, it's like standing at the forefront of sports and entertainment technology, where innovation is not just a goal but a fundamental ethos. Within Deltatre, every day presents a new opportunity to contribute to creative advancements - from pioneering fan engagement strategies to refining data analytics for sports services. Working alongside a team of dedicated professionals, each with their unique expertise, is both inspiring and humbling. It's a privilege to be part of a journey that consistently pushes the boundaries of possibility, and to contribute to the ongoing transformation.

What can you tell me about the future…?

The future, as we envision it, is brimming with possibilities, particularly in the ML and AI. Picture this: a world where digital and streaming services are not just personalized, but truly interactive. We're talking about AI systems that don’t just understand your preferences, but anticipate your desires, curating content tailored precisely to your tastes and trends from various sources such as videos, images, search history and more. Imagine a future where AI isn't just predictive, but preventative, safeguarding safety by analyzing real-time data to forecast and prevent potential injuries, thus extending athletes' careers or sport team customized coaches.

From the other side, the advancements such as efficient transformer models have revolutionized language understanding and image recognition, partially, leading to more nuanced interactions and personalized content creation. Custom AI assistants, leveraging these models, now navigate tasks with heightened accuracy and context awareness, enhancing everyday user experiences.

The future of immersive experiences is set to redefine how we interact with digital content such as live sports. Imagine stepping into a fully immersive 3D stadium from the comfort of your own living room. Thanks to the convergence of AI, machine learning, and 3D technology, we're on the cusp of smarter, more responsive environments that learn and adapt to user interactions.

I think the future is positively exhilarating, offering a tantalizing glimpse into a world where technology isn't just a tool, but a transformative force shaping the way we experience entertainment.

What does 'Innovation' mean to you?

Innovation, to me, encapsulates the essence of forward-thinking. Within the lab, we are consistently engaged in envisioning the trajectory of the technologies within the use cases in sport and entertainment. Our projects are not just about envisioning the near future but also laying the groundwork for upcoming products and company growth. It involves research, design, and development aimed at incorporating novel technologies into our offerings. Essentially, it's about staying attuned to the signals, drivers, and patterns within our field, forecasting what lies ahead, and then strategically navigating our way to meet those future demands by back-casting from those predictions. Trusting in this process is fundamental as we synthesize current knowledge and resources to shape the products of tomorrow.

We work across exciting and ever-evolving industries. What gets you most excited about Deltatre’s future?

What excites me (and scares me) most about future is the boundless potential for innovation and impact within the dynamic industries we serve. The intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology provides a fertile ground for advancement, and Deltatre stands at the forefront of driving this evolution. Whether it’s pioneering new avenues for fans to immerse themselves in their favorite sports through cutting-edge experiences, or utilizing data analytics to unearth profound insights into team performances, or the new editorial tool, which can automatically suggest content for fans, the opportunities are limitless.

Moreover, our collaborative ethos ensures that we're not simply reacting to industry trends, but actively shaping and defining them. It's similar to being swept up in an exhilarating whirlwind of innovation! Whether we're brainstorming ways to transport fans into the heart of the action or working on the video analyser, there's never a dull moment.

What are some of your favorite projects that you've worked on, and why do they stand out to you?

Since joining the lab, I've had the privilege of spearheading two projects that hold a special place in my heart. The first is our Automated Content Generation (ACG) initiative. At its core, ACG serves as the backbone for editorial content generation, leveraging sports data to automatically produce engaging content through AI models, either autonomously or with human oversight. Currently seamlessly integrated with our LIVE BLOGGING product, ACG identifies key moments during live matches and presents them to editors. They can then request short play-by-play commentaries in multiple languages, adaptable across various sports and data providers. It’s been an exhilarating journey spanning over a year, navigating the frontier of large language models and embracing cutting-edge machine learning techniques. The trust vested in me by the team catapulted me into a leadership role, came to the successful deployment for our first client and ongoing collaborations with others and eventually settled it within our product suite. From research and prototyping to integration and PoC deployment on our infrastructure, it's been a gratifying experience for the team.

In tandem with Sport Innovations and STS, I've also had the honor of leading the long-term Next-Generation Data Gathering (NGDG) project. As we stride into the era of data evolution, sports are no exception. With access to venue cameras and serving various clients with broadcast feeds, it became apparent that we could harness this potential to revolutionize our offerings through automated data gathering, collection, and analysis from videos. This ongoing endeavor is multifaceted, utilizing novel methods to decipher the dynamics of sports fields through live multi-camera video feeds. By employing computer vision techniques, we translate video streams into meaningful data, capturing player positions, ball movements, and field dynamics. This wealth of information serves as the foundation for countless applications, from editorial content creation to match analysis and beyond. It's an ongoing project, backed by our commitment to redefining the boundaries of sports technology.

Have you had the opportunity to visit any of our hubs, or do you have plans to do so in the future?

I’m eagerly anticipating my upcoming visit to our Turin hub, where I'll have the chance to reconnect with colleagues from across the globe. It's an exciting opportunity to reunite in person after some time apart and immerse myself in the collaborative atmosphere. During my stay, I'll be diving into projects alongside the Innovation Lab team and leaders in Sport Innovations Technology, fostering closer working relationships and exchanging ideas.

We are also going to host a few workshops along with my colleagues from different product teams and define priorities for the future. I’d have a chance to also be involved with a hands-on experience in the operations for offerings of Sports Innovations, besides testing our new solution during the live match in the venue. I’m considering extending my visit to spend an extended period collaborating closely with them, maximizing the opportunity for shared learning.

Extra time!

What's your desert island item of technology?

This is always fun to think about, as I've often thought about something like this since I watched Cast Away years ago. While the practical necessities of food, water, and shelter with a multipurpose kit are necessary for survival, let's indulge in the idea of simply enjoying the island's ambiance. In that case, I'd opt for a manual typewriter: nestled under palm trees, the gentle sound of clacking keys fills the air as I craft letters and stories, creating documents in a style almost forgotten.

If you could invent/redesign any piece of technology, what would it be?

Choosing just one is certainly a challenge, but if I had to pick, an accessible and easy-to-produce room-temperature superconductor would be at the top of my list.

Imagine the impact on global energy challenges, the boost in computing speed, the creation of novel memory-storage devices. It's not just about efficiency; it's about revolutionizing the way we approach energy storage and transmission. With batteries capable of storing power almost indefinitely and conductors with minimal power loss over long distances.

Which sport are you most passionate about?

Hiking, mountaineering, and running are my go-to sports! They stem from my deep passion for travel; I'm the type to journey with nothing but a backpack for weeks on end. Additionally, I've previously ventured into solo paragliding and rock climbing, and they're always in my heart.

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of the tech world?

Outside of the tech world, my regular hobby revolves around enjoying vibrant rhythms of Latin music! I've been dedicated to learning for a while now, attending weekly courses and practicing in the evenings. I also enjoy playing claves and cowbell alongside friends who play congas and guiro. On the flip side, I love getting lost in long epic board game battles.