GDG Toronto

Last weekend was filled with chit chats, tech talks, and so much fun! Can you believe it was Saturday morning at the University of Toronto, and I already saw 400+ people buzzing around the venue half an hour before the event started? Absolutely crazy energy! This was my 210th talk, and it felt extra special for someone who turned 21 this year. Huge thanks to all the attendees and a special shoutout to Solomon Hsu, Hiral Thaker, and the amazing volunteering team for making it such a grand event. Hearing from my fellow speakers was incredible! And now, the countdown begins..... yes..... just one more year until GDG Toronto’s DevFest 2025. After a string of packed days, I finally got some time to explore the city. A big thanks to Karan Sheth for showing me around. It’s okay to cherish the child in us sometimes, right? The whole city seemed to be in Taylor Swift concert mode, and I loved soaking in the vibes. I even hung out with Spiderman for a bit! I took lot of crazy pictures even kids were watching me strange. And guess what? I found a bear that totally matched my vibe (black-on-black costume, just like me everytime). We took a picture, and it was hilarious! Yesterday, I had an amazing coffee chat with Jayachandhran Saravanan. We talked about buzzing ideas and reflected on my journey so far. It felt so good to have that kind of meaningful conversation. Honestly, after a long time, I shed some "irony tears". Moments like these remind me how far I’ve come. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and showed up for the keynote. And to those who traveled from all over Ontario to meet me for a coffee chat on friday, you made my day. Oh, and yes, I know you’ve seen me at Tim Hortons. But let me clear this up..... I don’t drink coffee! It’s always French Vanilla with extra sugar. (Dr Palaniappan Manickam, if you’re reading this, I promise I’m working on cutting back—moving from a large cup to a small one now!) It’s been an amazing four months in Canada, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you, everyone! See you soon next weekend in British Columbia!

🌟 This Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending DevFest Toronto 2024! 🌟 A huge thanks to Google Developers Group, Solomon Hsu, Melchior Pinto, Hiral Thaker and the entire team for organizing such a fantastic event. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with Toronto's IT community and hear from experts about their experiences and insights on leveraging AI and improving software accessibility. GDG Toronto, #DevFest2024, #UXUIDesign, #DevFestToronto, #AI

🌟 This week at GDG Toronto DevFest 🌟 What an inspiring day at GDG Toronto DevFest! 🚀 I had the opportunity to attend some amazing sessions and learn from incredible speakers who shared cutting-edge insights and innovative ideas: 💡 Kiruthika Subramani delivered a thought-provoking session on Responsible AI, addressing challenges in machine learning and showcasing the practical applications of Explainable AI. 💬 Sebastian Ruan talked about Deliberate Democracy, highlighting how the Civic Tech Toronto Community Polis Group is bridging gaps and connecting diverse voices across platforms. 📊 Artur Kuzmin introduced the concept of Personal AI Data Analytics, blending data and AI in ways that truly challenged my perspective. 🎨 Sumati Gupta shared practical tips on designing Inclusive UI/UX, inspired by her experiences at Beats by Dre, and emphasized the importance of accessibility in design. 🌐 Yegor Sak gave an insightful explanation of how DNS filtering works, breaking it down with clarity and real-world relevance. A huge shoutout to all the speakers, the incredible GDG Toronto team, and everyone who attended. The energy and knowledge at this event were unmatched. Events like these not only fuel my passion for tech but also remind me how much I love being part of this amazing community. I’m already excited for the next one! 🚀 #GDGToronto #DevFest #Innovation #AI #TechCommunity #UniversityOfToronto

Stepping outside of the Figma bubble at GDG Toronto DevFest 2024. As cozy as Figma is, it isn’t enough if you want to have a bigger impact on the final product. After 2 years of leading a cross-functional team, I’ve learned that diving into the tech and business side isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential. And yes, tech can be intimidating, but avoiding it limits collaboration. At DevFest 2024, I stepped out of my comfort zone and picked up insights to better communicate with developers, inform design decisions, and bring new ideas to product strategy. I learned strategies to reduce the bias of machine learning models, insights on cybersecurity, and leveraging AI for tracking data analytics. Understanding the tech and business side is how we create products that actually work—and keep up in stand-ups. Bonus: it also makes us better partners for developers and stakeholders.

🌟 Excited to share my amazing experience at GDG Toronto DevFest 2024 hosted at the stunning University of Toronto campus! From insightful sessions to fun challenges, this event had it all! 🏆 The best part? Securing 5th position out of 150+ participants in the Game Quiz and winning a Flutter tote bag, Google exclusive stickers, and Google I/O flip cards! 🎮✨ 🎤 Kiruthika Subramani delivered an eye-opening keynote on Responsible AI, showcasing live Explainable AI demos and the importance of ethical ML models. 🔐 Yegor Sak broke down Modern DNS Security, explaining DNS filtering's role in safeguarding the web. 🤖 Artur Kuzmin inspired us with insights into Personal AI Data Analytics, exploring AI-driven, individualized insights beyond SQL. 🌍 Sumati Gupta shared actionable strategies on Inclusive UI/UX Design, highlighting accessibility and real-world examples from Beats by Dre. 🤝 Sebastian Ruan closed the event with a thought-provoking session on Deliberative Democracy, featuring tools like Polis for community-driven collaboration. The UofT breathtaking campus provided the perfect setting for networking, inspiration, and reimagining the future of tech. Excited to apply these insights to future projects and connect further with this amazing community. 🚀 #GDGToronto #DevFest2024 #Innovation #TechCommunity #Networking

The Largest Gathering of Developers, Worldwide🌍 Last saturday, I had the privilage of attending in an exciting event that I have been waiting for a long time, the GDG Toronto. This is an event that occures once a year and the developers from all over the city participate in it. The program started with exciting presentations by Kiruthika Subramani, Yegor Sak , Artur Kuzmin, Sumati Gupta, and Sebastian Ruan and continued with lunch and networking. Thanks to the GDG Toronto for executing such great event and I am looking forward to participate in more tech events. Noor Afza Sahibi,Keezum Tenzing,Nayyab Ali #gdg #events #developer #toronto

What a Day at DevFest 2024 by GDG Toronto! I’m a little late posting about this (my bad, life got busy 😅), but I’m still riding high from volunteering at DevFest 2024 last Saturday at GDG Toronto at the University of Toronto. What an incredible experience! From setup to closing, it was non-stop action and a ton of fun. As a volunteer, I got to: ✅ Help with setup and registration—I became a professional "Hi, welcome!" person. Gave away stickers and registration bands. ✅ Ensure we were all well-fed with catering—because who can focus without snacks, right? 🍕 ✅ Help with finishing up—because someone has to be the last one standing, right? 😜 Big shoutout to Solomon Hsu & Hiral Thaker, the masterminds behind it all, for organizing such a fantastic event and keeping us all on track. You deserve all the coffee in the world! ☕ And of course, huge thanks to the other volunteers and organizers—this event wouldn’t have been the same without each of you! Highlights of the day included: 💡 Kiruthika Subramani kicking things off with a mind-blowing keynote on “Beyond Accuracy - Integrating Responsible AI Metrics and Explainability into Model Evaluation”. I swear I learned more in that one session than in my whole AI class. 🤯 🔒Yegor Sak gave us the 411 on “Modern DNS Security”—I now feel like a cybersecurity expert (kinda). 🔐 🤖 Artur Kuzmin made me question everything with “Forget SQL! Get Your Personal AI Data Analytic”—who knew AI could do that? 🎨 Sumati Gupta made me feel guilty about my own UI/UX designs with “Designing for Everyone: Building Inclusive UI/UX”. I’ve got some redesigning to do, apparently! 😂 💡 Sebastian Ruan left us thinking deeply with “Deliberative Democracy and Building Bridges Across Divides”—seriously, why isn’t everyone using Polis? But the real highlight for me? Connecting with so many amazing individuals! Especially Meet Parmar, Dimple Kumar, Luis Rodriguez Vargas, Hema ThirumeniNathan PMP® PSM®, Prabhav Hiremath, MBA, CC, Jasleen Kaur, Bibhushit Regmi, Thomas Kam, Jayachandhran Saravanan, Devansh Mody, Melchior Pinto, David Jiang, James Kan, Allison Ma, MIRHR, Saadia Shahid. At the event, I also started a WhatsApp group for everyone to stay in touch, collaborate, and continue the good vibes. If you were there and want in, send me a message! Massive thanks to GDG Toronto, all the speakers, and everyone who attended for making it an unforgettable day. Looking forward to more tech adventures with all of you! #DevFest2024 #GDGToronto #VolunteerLife #TechCommunity #Networking #Innovation #AI #UIUX #LearningAndLaughing #Collaboration

🌟 An Incredible Day at DevFest by GDG Toronto! 🌟 This Saturday, I had the amazing opportunity to attend DevFest 2024 hosted by GDG Toronto and what a day it was! The event was packed with insightful talks, innovative ideas, and a vibrant community of tech enthusiasts. Here are some highlights from the agenda: 💡 Kiruthika Subramani kicked things off with a thought-provoking keynote on “Beyond Accuracy - Integrating Responsible AI Metrics and Explainability into Model Evaluation”, complete with a live demo that truly brought the concepts to life. 🔒 Yegor Sak took us into the realm of cybersecurity with “Modern DNS Security”, shedding light on the evolving challenges in securing the internet’s backbone. 🤖 Artur Kuzmin challenged convention with “Forget SQL! Get Your Personal AI Data Analytic”, offering a glimpse into the future of AI-driven data exploration. 🎨 Sumati Gupta emphasized the importance of inclusivity with her talk on “Designing for Everyone: Building Inclusive UI/UX”. It was a powerful reminder of the role design plays in creating equitable digital experiences. 🤝 Between sessions, there was plenty of time for networking, where I met passionate professionals from diverse tech backgrounds and exchanged ideas that left me inspired. 🎉 The day ended on a fun and celebratory note, with a game quiz and an after-party where connections deepened beyond the conference room. A huge thanks to the GDG Toronto team for organizing this fantastic event and to all the speakers for sharing their knowledge and perspectives. Events like these remind me of the power of community in tech—how we can learn, grow, and innovate together. Already looking forward to the next one! 🚀 #DevFest2024 #GDGToronto #TechCommunity #Learning #Networking #AI #UXDesign #CyberSecurity

Over the past months, I’ve had the chance to attend some inspiring events. In September, I was at Italian Tech Week, where Sam Altman, Co-Founder & CEO of OpenAI was a speaker. And just last Saturday, I attended another fantastic event, DevFest GDG Toronto, held at the University of Toronto. AI-related topics are more dynamic than ever, and it’s exciting to be part of these conversations. Events like these are a great source of inspiration and motivation for future projects!🚀 #AI #TechEvents #Toronto

Had an incredible experience at GDG DevFest Toronto 2024, diving deep into transformative discussions and cutting-edge innovations! From exploring the ethical dimensions and advancements in Responsible AI, to reimagining user experiences through the lens of impactful UX design by Sumati Gupta the event was a treasure trove of knowledge. Engaging sessions on Cybersecurity highlighted the evolving threats and the need for robust digital defenses, while Android-focused talks unveiled the future of mobile technology and app development. A perfect blend of inspiration, learning, and networking with passionate tech enthusiasts! GDG Toronto 📈🔥