Machine Learning Engineering Director Shrikant Desai is taking the WBD Guiding Principle of “Create What’s Next” to a new level, currently leading the effort to build AI and machine learning teams and operations for WBD’s India Innovation Hub (IIH). As is evident from the ever-evolving landscape of technology and entertainment, it’s a special time to be working in this space; on tech that holds immense potential and plays a critical role in shaping WBD’s future.

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Shrikant, who has been a part of WBD for nearly two years, knows that the India Innovation Hub has been key to WBD’s technology output. “IIH teams have actively contributed to our global streaming products across Warner Bros. Discovery,” he says, and the AI and ML teams he’s building will be a continuation of that — making significant contributions and significant impact.

Shrikant tells us that by working on AI and ML, he and his fellow engineers will be embracing advanced technology and tackling complex challenges. “The projects we’ll be working on require using state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms in computer vision and natural language processing,” he explains. “We’ll be using large language models, generative AI and computer vision techniques to build solutions.”

That means he’s looking for skilled technologists to join him — individuals who want to build the foundation for the machine learning problems teams will be solving well into the future. As Shrikant tells it, “Being a part of our AI/ML teams is an opportunity to be a part of this exciting journey from the earliest stages.”

Shrikant sees this moment as an opportunity for himself, too, because of his passion for entertainment, and how that passion informs his professional life. “I grew up watching Warner Bros. movies and the Discovery Channel,” he says. “Even before joining WBD, I was always talking about movies, streaming content, apps, features and so on. Many times, I feel like my work is exactly what I like to do and talk about.”

With his passion for content, it’s no wonder Shrikant is unafraid — excited, even! — to use technology to transform how that content is created and communicated to audiences. “Technology changes every day. All you can do is embrace change and adapt to change quickly. It’s ok to make mistakes,” he says, “as long as you learn from them.”