Arkady Sandler: Entrepreneur, CEO & Co-Founder of Docet TI

Interview with Arkady Sandler, CEO & Co-Founder of Docet TI

Arkady Sandler is a Co-Founder and CEO of Docet TI, a company that develops AI-focused products to facilitate business growth.

With over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, AI, and technology development, he has founded 5 startups and achieved successful exits with 3.

He has assembled a top-tier team consisting of over 300 AI developers, data scientists, engineers, and product/project managers.

With a personal investment of $2.5M, Arkady launches H2iM, an AI product to enable autonomous vehicle operations and enhance work speed and efficiency. The device maintains output levels and reduces personnel requirements by up to 10 times.

The first launch of a developed technology is planned to be used at FASTA, the world’s first mixed reality racing competition that uses real electric race cars that can be remotely controlled over the internet.

Racing vehicles possess some degree of autonomy, allowing them to cope with any possible loss of connection.

Arkady’s personal ambition is to release human workflow from the execution of robots. With that mission, H2iM targets a $200 billion problem caused by annual workers’ compensation costs in robotics in industries such as logistics, healthcare, automotive, etc.

As a computer science student, like many others in my discipline, the concept of robots assuming tasks that were once exclusive to humans has always fascinated me.

It was clear to me that my career path would be linked to this field. With a natural inclination towards entrepreneurship, I have a keen interest in creating novel ideas that have yet to be introduced to the market.

Following the completion of my studies in 1998, I established my first business that same year, marking the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey.

Now, I have more than 20 years of experience in AI, product innovation, effective product management and technology development. I am happily married and have three great children. 

Please tell us a little about your entrepreneurial journey

Arkady Sandler: As I have already mentioned, I founded my first business in 1998 and successfully exited just two years later.

I went on to become CIO of a consulting company, where I developed a recruitment automation system that sped up the recruitment cycle by 25% and executed digital transformation initiatives that led to 40% annual revenue growth for two consecutive years.

I founded KeyStaff Solutions in 2004, a startup focused on AI-based recruitment automation. Within a year, it became a market leader, achieved breakeven and was purchased by a top recruitment company.

Later, I managed to double YoY revenue as head of corporate development and transformation by leading strategic planning and developing a new operating model.

In 2010, I founded Essential Commerce, a B2B internet startup that achieved $1.5M monthly turnover within two years, and scaled the team from 2 to 50 people across multiple departments.

After successfully exiting, I became CEO of a company building natural language processing dialogue systems and intelligent chatbots.

I was later hired to set up an AI transformation department from scratch for a national telecommunications group, where I built and scaled a team of 300+ experts and launched AI-based products such as a virtual assistant and a customer care automation system based on NLP, which automated 80% of all requests.

Today, I am the CEO and co-founder of Docet TI, a company that develops AI-focused products to facilitate business growth.

Kindly brief us about Docet TI, its specialization, and the services that it offers

Arkady Sandler: Docet TI is a distinguished firm that specializes in the management, expansion and financing of projects with a primary focus on artificial intelligence.

Most engineers are located in Cyprus whereas management and marketing are spread amongst Israel and continental Europe, and we operate worldwide, targeting key markets such as the U.S., UK, Israel, Singapore and the UAE.

At Docet TI, we prioritize investing in areas where AI can make a substantial impact, such as digital healthcare, HR technology, supply chain management, non-invasive neural interfaces, AI-generated content, fintech, micro-robotics and swarm intelligence.

These fields have tremendous potential for growth and innovation, and we are eager to foster and promote breakthrough developments within them.

What is your biggest USP 

Arkady Sandler: I believe our unique selling proposition (USP) is centered around our unwavering focus on providing hybrid solutions that are both innovative and efficient.

We are committed to developing solutions that allow humans to work in collaboration with robots because we believe that this approach is the key to unlocking higher levels of productivity and efficiency.

Our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that our hybrid solutions are tailored to meet the specific needs of our clients.

We understand that each client has unique requirements, and we take great pride in our ability to design and implement solutions that are customized to fit their situation, whether they’re hoping to  streamline their manufacturing processes, optimize their supply chain or enhance the customer experience.

What inspired you to start Docet TI, and what was your vision for the company?

Arkady Sandler: As someone who has always been passionate about innovation and creating something new and useful, I have spent a significant portion of my career exploring ways to leverage technology to streamline processes and enhance efficiency.

My interest in artificial intelligence (AI) began many years ago. I was fascinated by the idea of automating human actions through hybrid thinking and began to wonder if it was possible to create a system that could make existing machines smart, remotely driven and partially autonomous which is quite enough for quick ROI and especially fits for small and medium enterprises not able for heavy capital investments for full and total replacement. 

During a conversation with my son, at that moment he was 13 years old, who is a passionate motor racing fan and knowledgeable about Formula 1 and karting, everything fell into place for me regarding a project idea.

As we discussed my job and his interest in racing, I eventually arrived at an idea, using karting as one of the models for a standard vehicle.

Despite my enthusiasm for the concept of AI and its potential applications, the demands of my corporate work made it difficult to pursue this passion project.

However, in 2020, I decided to take a leap of faith, left the corporate work and started developing a project.

Meanwhile, to cover my own expenses I started to work as a consultant for various projects and was invited to become a board member of a production holding company. Additionally, I earned a diploma in corporate governance from the Institute of Directors (IoD) in the UK. 

Luckily, at this period, I was approached by investors who were interested in putting their money into AI.

This was an exciting opportunity for me, and I began to explore different ideas with these investors. When I presented the idea of Docet TI, they were immediately intrigued.

With their backing, I assembled a team of experts and began working on the platform for Docet TI. As the managing partner and ideologist, I oversaw the early stages of the project and helped guide it towards success. Over time, I took on more responsibility and eventually assumed the role of CEO.

Today, I oversee a team of talented professionals who are working on a range of exciting projects. From machine learning algorithms to natural language processing, we are exploring new and innovative ways to leverage AI and hybrid thinking to solve complex problems and create value for our clients.

Can you describe some of the AI-focused products that Docet TI offers, and how they help businesses grow?

Arkady Sandler: Currently I am working on the H2iM project in the field of hybrid intelligence. This is a project dedicated to developing cooperation between human and robotic agents for accomplishing simple and complex tasks across several areas such as logistics, industry, transportation and entertainment.

H2iM is a cutting-edge AI technology designed for specialized surface vehicles. This versatile set of electronics can be easily installed on existing special-purpose vehicles operating in confined spaces and can also be used to train autonomous agents in a simulator or virtual reality that’s created by scanning the operational space of the vehicle.

By utilizing this technology, existing vehicles can be repurposed with minimal modifications, drastically lowering capital expenditures when transitioning to autonomous/driverless vehicles and enhancing work speed and efficiency.

This innovation has broad applications across various industries that require efficient transportation of goods.

By implementing this technology, a reduction in personnel requirements of up to 10 times is achievable while maintaining output levels.

Additionally, we have explored the potential for H2iM to be employed in the sport of karting. As a result, we have created FASTA, the world’s first mixed reality racing competition using real electric race cars that can be remotely controlled over the internet.

These vehicles possess some degree of autonomy, allowing them to cope with any possible loss of connection. To support this initiative, we have initiated a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

How does Docet TI stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI technology, and how does this inform your product development process?

Arkady Sandler: At our company, we are committed to staying at the forefront of our industry through rigorous scientific analysis and collaboration among our team members.

Our team of scientific advisors brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the table, offering valuable insights into market trends and developments. Through their work, we are able to identify and solve complex issues based on scientific research.

To stay abreast of the latest developments in the industry, we hold regular internal Tech Talk events every two weeks.

During these events, employees come together to discuss what they have found, what has been happening in the market, and what progress has been made on ongoing projects.

This platform is entirely dedicated to discussion and fosters a collaborative environment where team members can learn from one another and expand their knowledge and understanding.

Our commitment to scientific analysis and internal collaboration is reflected in our product development process.

We are constantly updating and evolving our product to incorporate new features and stay ahead of the curve.

By staying on top of market trends and developments and fostering a culture of collaboration, we are able to provide our customers with innovative and effective solutions that meet their evolving needs.

What was the inspiration behind turning an entrepreneur?

Arkady Sandler: Since I was young, I have always wanted to create something new and interesting, something that no one has made before.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but my strong desire to make something special was more important than any fears or doubts I had.

When I started learning about AI, I was amazed by how it can help businesses and the world. That’s why I wanted to be an entrepreneur.

I wanted to create something important that would make a big difference in the world, and I knew that AI could help me do that.

Now, I am still working with AI to make new things and keep pushing the limits of what’s possible. I think that by using AI and making things that can change the world, we can make things better for everyone.

In your opinion, what are some of the most exciting developments happening in the field of AI right now, and how do you see them impacting businesses in the future?

Arkady Sandler: One of the most significant events related to AI is not actually related to AI itself. It involves the emergence of Chat GPT and its release as an open service.

This set a new record for the level of social attention to a technological product containing AI. Within just five days, it attracted over 100 million users, surpassing the number of users gathered by any previous services in such a short period.

This event has undoubtedly had a major impact on society. Many people who were previously indifferent to technology or using it recklessly are now more interested in it. They have realized how much of an impact it can have on their lives.

To continue the development of AI-based systems, collaboration is key. However, one major obstacle to progress is the desire for complete autonomy.

When people talk about AI-based systems, they often mean complete autonomy. Yet, if we continue to insist on this all-or-nothing principle, we may face further obstacles.

I believe that hybrid systems, which involve human-AI collaboration, will be much more successful than full autonomy.

By working together, we can solve problems faster and more efficiently. We need to find a balance between the capabilities of AI and human creativity, intuition, and empathy. With this approach, we can achieve greater success in the development of AI-based systems.

How do you envision the role of AI in business evolving in the next 5-10 years, and how is Docet TI positioning itself to stay at the forefront of this change?

Arkady Sandler: Looking 5-10 years ahead is a significant timeframe for startups, and it can be quite challenging to predict what their future will be like.

However, if we talk about the use of AI in business during that period, I believe it will be ubiquitous. My hope is that within 10 years, every task that is currently performed by humans will be replaced by robots, and I am working towards that goal.

I can also anticipate that AI will continue to transform the labor force, leading to even more diversification.

The use of AI-powered machines and robots will not only automate mundane and repetitive tasks but enable businesses to analyze data in real-time, identify patterns and make better-informed decisions.

As a result, businesses will need to adjust their hiring strategies to focus more on skills that are not easily replaceable by machines.

For instance, interpersonal skills such as communication, empathy, and teamwork will be highly sought after.

Additionally, the ability to analyze and interpret data, think creatively and solve complex problems will also be in high demand. 

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to start an AI-focused company?

Arkady Sandler: To be honest, entrepreneurship is a very hard path. You have to do it for the right reasons. So the first piece of advice would be: If you have the option of not being an entrepreneur, then don’t.

Often, a corporate career is more rewarding, financially speaking too. However, if you have decided to be an entrepreneur, these three things are what will help you: knowledge, imagination, and persistence. 

The ability to bounce back from failures and setbacks with unrelenting optimism is vital. In the fast-moving world of technology, there will be plenty of failures and missteps along the way, but those who can maintain a positive outlook and keep moving forward will be more likely to succeed in the long run. It’s okay to make mistakes.

I always say that an entrepreneur who hasn’t messed up a single project in their life isn’t worth very much.

Website: http://docet.ai

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