Continuing the AI Journey

Srikanth Gorthy (MSAI ‘22) spent a decade in India working as a data science and artificial intelligence (AI) professional, including at well-known global tech companies like Google and AMD.

But Gorthy saw how quickly AI was evolving and wanted to find a way to boost his career trajectory in the field. 

For that, he turned to Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) program.

Today, Gorthy is a senior data scientist at TikTok, and he said the MSAI program’s design helped him get there.

"Everyone has different starting points, and MSAI is built so the focus is on building from that starting point toward where you want to be,” Gorthy said. “I wanted to learn about the current direction of machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence, and new large-language models. Now I'm using those skills daily and building models to impact the products at TikTok.” 

Since August, Gorthy has been building models that detect anomalies in the massive flow of data from TikTok users. His goal is to create automated systems to decipher whether these anomalies are bad and need to be addressed or reflective of a new trend.

To do that, Gorthy relies on a skill he feels is critical to his success: storytelling.

“Data is everywhere,” Gorthy said. “You need to find the right data points and tell the right story so the reader is going to understand what the data is saying. If you’re not telling a story, you’re just talking into the void.”

In other words, data without interpretation is just garbled information. Good data scientists are using AI to help find stories buried within the avalanche of facts and figures.

Gorthy likes the work he is doing because of its massive reach. In 2023, TikTok’s 1.5 billion global users spent 4.43 billion minutes on the app each day.

“Any product that I work on has a great amount of impact,” he said. “I can see the impact of the change I make reflected in how people are using TikTok.That's something about which I'm very excited.”

Gorthy applies lessons learned in the MSAI program to his work at TikTok on a daily basis, particularly topics discussed in AI Perspectives, a course taught by MSAI deputy director Mohammed Alam. Gorthy called the class “one of the best courses I’ve ever taken.”

That course delves into the fundamental issues related to AI, including how to build it, how to use it ethically and what dangers it presents. The course uses everything from psychology and neuroscience to linguistics and philosophy to look at AI and help students understand its place and role in human history. 

“It's on us to make sure that we don't overstate the capabilities that AI can provide and make sure that we are grounded AI practitioners,” he said. “MSAI prepares you well in that aspect.”