# Hai! I'm Libor Burian, also known as Burny. I'm looking for collaborations. :-) ![[Images/dd8ede9a226ac6782d4f102f2e25224a_MD5.jpeg|200]]![[Images/35727f7355f3216747dce9cc72ebe34b_MD5.jpg|200]] # My interests ### [[Artificial Intelligence]] ##### State of the art - I am interested in the current state of the art top [[artificial Intelligence]] systems ([[machine learning]], [[data science]], [[statistics]], [[deep learning]], [[generative AI]] ([[Large language model|large language models]], image/sound/video models, [[multimodal]] models), [[reinforcement learning]] models, [[symbolic AI|expert systems]], [[neurosymbolic AI]], etc. I want to use them in practice for the benefit of others, such as for [[Artificial Intelligence#Crossovers|automating]] mundane tasks (dishes, laundry), [[Artificial intelligence x Healthcare|healthcare]] ([[AMIE]], [[AlphaFold]], [[SLIViT]]), [[Artificial intelligence x Programming|programming]] (coding [[AI copilots]] such as GitHub copilot, [Cursor](https://www.cursor.com/), Replit, and [[autonomous software engineers]]), [[Artificial intelligence x Science|science]] ([[autonomous science]]), physics ([[FermiNet]]), [[Artificial Intelligence x Mathematics|mathematics]] ([[AlphaProof]]), [[Artificial Intelligence x Engineering|technology]] development ([[AlphaChip]], [[virtual reality]]), [[chatbot]] assistants grounded in reality, [[education]], [[information searching]], minimizing various [[risks]] and [[crises]], [[transportation]], [[manufacturing]], [[security]], [[cybersecurity]], [[energy optimization]], [[supply chain optimization]], [[weather forecasting]], [[agriculture]], [[translation]], [[recommendations]], [[finance]], [[call centers]], [[entertainment]], [[legal services]], [[games]], [[robotics]] for good, [[altruism]], etc. by [[prediction|predicting]], [[forecasting]], [[generation|generating]], [[classification]], [[analysis]], [[clustering]], [[segmentation|segmentating]] etc., with [[AI engineering]] methods by [[building]] and [[training]] models, [[finetuning]], [[prompt engineering]], [[retrieval augmented generation]], [[agent]] and [[multiagent]] frameworks, etc. using [[PyTorch]], [[Keras]], [[Scikit-learn]], [[FastAI]], [[OpenAI]] or [[Anthropic]] API, [[Llama]] locally or deployed, [[Llamaindex]], [[Langchain]], [[Autogen]], [[LangGraph]], [[Vector database|vector databases]], etc. ([Courses - DeepLearning.AI](https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/), [Practical Deep Learning for Coders - Practical Deep Learning](https://course.fast.ai/), [Stanford CS229: Machine Learning](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoROMvodv4rNyWOpJg_Yh4NSqI4Z4vOYy)) ##### From scratch - I am interested in how to build good AI models from scratch in [[PyTorch]], or not from scratch with for example [[finetuning]]. I enjoy building large language models and other [[deep learning]] models from scratch. With [[PyTorch]], [[Keras]], [[fastai]], etc. (I really love [Neural Networks: Zero to Hero by Andrej Karpathy](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAqhIrjkxbuWI23v9cThsA9GvCAUhRvKZ) that was in [[OpenAI]] and [[Tesla]] and thaught in [[Stanford]]) ##### [[Mathematics|Mathematical]] and other fundamentals, [[steerability]] - I am interested in trying to [[Mathematical theory of artificial intelligence|mathematically]] and [[Mechanistic interpretability|empirically]] understand current and future AI systems, why and how they work, and how to make them much more [[reliable]], [[robust]], [[mechanistic interpretability|steerable]], [[Creativity|creative]], [[intelligence|intelligent]], [[AI safety|safe]] etc. across all levels of their development! Better steering wheel for AI systems would be great! [[Reinforcement learning from human feedback|RLHF]], [[prompt engineering]], [[agents|systems made of LLMs]], and current [[reverse engineering]] methods don't seem to be enough! [[Mechanistic interpretability]], [[neurosymbolic AI]], [[weak to strong generalization]] paradigm, and [[formal verification]] sound promising! ([A Comprehensive Mechanistic Interpretability Explainer & Glossary - Dynalist](https://dynalist.io/d/n2ZWtnoYHrU1s4vnFSAQ519J)) I'm curious about the [[mathematical theory of artificial intelligence]]! ##### [[Benefits, risks, impact and future of artificial intelligence|Benefits, risks, impact and future of AI and humanity]] - I love AI for [[science]] like [[biology]] and [[physics]], [[mathematics]], [[healthcare]], [[education]], [[technology]] development for good, understanding the nature of [[intelligence]], increasing the standards of living for all, progress of civilization and so on. I want to see more of that please! I want to see AI applied much more in [[science]], [[technology]], [[engineering]], [[mathematics]], [[healthcare]], [[altruism|altruistic]] usecases, etc. I want to see it as a tool that generates [[abundance]] for everyone. I want the technology to build better future for all. I want the [[technology]] to fight poverty and other world problems and [[risks]]. I want the research to help understand the nature of [[intelligence]]. I want the technology to [[agency|empower]] all humans that don't want to see the world burn or are not dictators. I want the power of it be used for good. I want the power to not be concentrated. I want to see it developed safely and ethically in steerable way. I want people to get compensated properly. I'm trying to push that and help to work towards these goals more! AI can be used for both bad, good, and neutral things. Let's maximize the good usecases! - I am interested in the [[future]], with a focus on the [[Benefits, risks, impact and future of AI and humanity|future of AI]], but not just the state of the art of the [[technology]] itself, but what implications does it have for our system in terms of [[politics]], [[culture]], [[economy]], [[governance]], other technologies, etc. In general I think about how to make world better for everyone with increasing [[automation]]. How can it go well and have positive impact on [[Future of humanity, AI, sentience, futurology, politics|our future]]? What political changes will we have to do? What [[risks]] exist? Where can we make the most beneficial [[progress]]? I don't want to see people suffer, maybe something like [[universal basic income]] or [[services|universal basic services]] will be needed to catch up with [[lob loss]] with increasing [[automation]], so that [[technology]] generates [[abundance]] for the benefit of all, not just for select few? How to minimize [[power concentration]] in the hands of the few? I'm trying to find solutions! I really care about the [[future]] filled with a ton of free fulfilled [[experience|sentient]] beings [[flourishing]], instead of [[dystopia|dystopias]] and [[catastrophe|catastrophes]]! I post a lot about it on my [Twitter](https://x.com/burny_tech) to around 20 000 followers. ([[Future of humanity, AI, sentience, futurology, politics]]) ### [[Science]], [[Technology]], [[Engineering]], [[Mathematics]], [[Physics]], [[Biology]], [[Philosophy]] - I want to understand how [[reality]], [[science]], [[technology]], [[engineering]], [[mathematics]] work motivated by a ton of [[curiosity]]! I love [[everything|mapping]] [[knowledge]] and following state of the art! I browse a lot of courses and papers in various fields! (checkout my [[Exocortex]] and [Twitter](https://x.com/burny_tech)) (I love [[physics]] lectures by [[Leonard Susskind]] from [[Stanford]] [Course Catalogue | The Theoretical Minimum](https://theoreticalminimum.com/courses)) I am interested in understanding [[artificial Intelligence]], [[computer science]], [[science]], [[technology]], [[engineering]], [[mathematics]] and [[philosophy]] as much as possible in general! I'm curious around [[cognitive science]], [[physics]], (not only [[Computational Neuroscience|computational]]) [[neuroscience]], (not only [[Mathematical biology|mathematical]]) [[biology]], [[intelligence]], [[longevity]], [[programming]], [[Programming language theory|programming languages]], [[software engineering]], [[hardware engineering,]] [[electronics]], [[ethics]], [[metaphysics]], [[logic]], [[systems theory]], [[information theory]], [[political science]], [[neurophenomenology]], structure of [[experience]], [[consciousness]], [[wellbeing]], [[metamodernism]], [[secular spirituality]], [[meditation]],… Also some [[chemistry]], [[sociology]]. ### [[Transhumanism]] - I'm curious about reverse engineer and [[Human intelligence amplification|amplify human intelligence]], [[agency]], [[wellbeing]] and [[longevity]]. catch up to exponentially increasing [[artificial intelligence|machine intelligence]] using [[neurotechnology]], [[biotechnology]], and other methods? Catching up human [[intelligence]] with increasing [[artificial intelligence|machine intelligence]] might be very important! ### [[Future of humanity, AI, sentience, futurology, politics|Big picture]] - I want [[Future of humanity, AI, sentience, futurology, politics|humanity to survive, flourish and explore the universe]] and spread in it! I'm strong [[transhumanism|transhumanist]] and [[longtermism|longtermist]]. I want [[technology]] to bring [[abundance]] to all and mitigate existential [[risks]]. Reduce [[suffering]] in the [[universe]]! Increase [[prosperity]] in the universe! Increase [[understanding]] in the universe! The best way to do that is with [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] and other [[technology|technologies]] from the [[forth industrial revolution]]! [[Superflourishing]]! [[superintelligence]]! [[flourishing|Superflourishing]]! [[knowledge|Superunderstanding]]! [[Superintelligence]]! [[wellbeing|Superwellbeing]]! [[longevity|Superlongevity]]! [[Curiosity|Supercuriousity]]! ### [[Movements|Communities]] - I enjoy and am part of futurist technooptimist movements such as [[transhumanism]], [[rationalism]], [[Effective Altruism]], [[longtermism]], [[Hedonistic Imperative]], [[Qualia Research Institute]], [[Effective Accelerationism]], [[Extropianism]], [[Singularitarianism]], [[Cosmism]], some geeky communities, etc. with the focus on building [[technology]] and our system [[for the benefit of all sentient beings]]! I want to support [[effective charities]]. I love to bring people [[together]], [[connect]] people together (both [[Politics|politically]] and in terms of what interests them and their [[knowledge]]), [[coordinate]], instead of [[polarizing]], which I'm vocal about on [Twitter](https://x.com/burny_tech) . - I am interested and active in various AI communities, both irl and online, on [[Discord]], [[Reddit]], [[Slack]], [[Twitter]], [[Facebook]], etc. ### Summary - To summarize, I'm interested in everything around [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]]! [[Research]] and [[engineering]], both [[fundamental]] and not, applications in [[industry]], [[altruism|altruistic]] applications, applications in [[science]] and [[mathematics]], applications for other [[technology]], many other applications, [[Mechanistic interpretability|reverse engineering]] AI, [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] [[politics]] and [[geopolitics]]! # Experience and education ### School - After IT high school, I studied [[computer science]] at CTU FIT (Czech technical university, Faculty of [[information technology]]) college with the focus on [[artificial intelligence]]. I attended lectures in UK MFF ([[mathematics]] and [[physics]]), CTU FEL ([[electrical engineering]]), CTU FJFI ([[physical engineering]]), VSE+VSEM ([[economics]]), and I continue to study from other universities that Czech, American etc., and other sources! ### [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]] and other courses such as [[mathematics]] - I consider myself a fast adaptable learner! When I'm committed to something, I get very obsessed with it and it becomes my reality and I give it full effort! - Some of my favorite courses are [Neural Networks: Zero to Hero by Andrej Karpathy](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAqhIrjkxbuWI23v9cThsA9GvCAUhRvKZ), [Practical Deep Learning for Coders - Practical Deep Learning](https://course.fast.ai/), [Stanford CS229: Machine Learning](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoROMvodv4rNyWOpJg_Yh4NSqI4Z4vOYy), [Stanford CS25 - Transformers United](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoROMvodv4rNiJRchCzutFw5ItR_Z27CM), [Practical Deep Learning for Coders - Practical Deep Learning](https://course.fast.ai/), [Neural networks by 3Blue1Brown](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZHQObOWTQDNU6R1_67000Dx_ZCJB-3pi) ###### AI [[from scratch]] - I played with building various [[machine learning]] architectures from scratch, such as [[Transformer]] ([[GPT]]) [[Large language model|LLM]], [[LSTM]], [[Diffusion]], [[U-Net]], [[Multi-Layer Perceptron|MLP]], [[Bigram]], [[Linear Regression]], [[Polynomial Regression]], etc., using [[PyTorch]], [[Scikit-learn]], [[Torchvision]], [[NumPy]], [[Matplotlib]], [[Einops]], [[Transformer]], [[Plotly]], etc. ), see some of it in my [BurnyCoder · GitHub](https://github.com/BurnyCoder) ###### AI in the real world - I played with solving various real [[world]] machine learning problems, such as grounded [[chatbots]], [[movie recommendation]], [[image classification]], [[noise removal]], [[image segmentation]], [[sentiment analysis]] etc., with [[Transformer]], [[ResNet]], [[AWD-LSTM]], [[Autoencoder]], [[U-Net]], etc. in [[PyTorch]], [[TensorFlow]], [[Keras]], [[fastai]], [[NumPy]], [[Matplotlib]], [[Langchain]], [[Llamaindex]], [[AutoGen]], [[CrewAI]], [[Pinecone]], [[PostgreSQL]], [[FAISS]], [[Streamlit]], etc. see some of it in my [BurnyCoder · GitHub](https://github.com/BurnyCoder) ###### Reverse engineering of AI - I played with various papers trying to [[reverse engineer]] [[Artificial neural networks|neural networks]] in [[mechanistic interpretability]], such as [Progress measures for grokking via mechanistic interpretability, reverse-engineering transformers learned on modular addition with learned emergent generalizing trigonometic functions circuit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob4vuiqG2Go&t=1s). I loved [[Neel Nanda]]'s workshop where I was [[steering]] [[Gemma]] with [[sparse autoencder|SAEs]]. I played with training SAEs on top of LLMs to interpret them with [[SAELens]]. ([ARENA](https://www.arena.education/)) ### AI research and engineering in industry - I have experience in [[research]] and [[engineering]] in [[Large language model|LLM]] industry for a year - Doing research around [[GraphRAG]], [[Multiagent system|multiagent]] LLM systems like [[AutoGen]] and [[CrewAI]], LLMs in general etc., - [[Designing]] and [[engineering]] [[agent|agentic]] systems for clients, like creating a research agent [[chatbot]] project with LLM with [[LlamaIndex]] with other technologies, and specialized [[Retrieval augmented generation|RAG]] pipeline with [[Pinecone]] and [[PostgreSQL]] as [[vector database]]s, with a lot of different types of implementations, with satisfying outcome. I also worked on call center simulation using LLMs and [[Whisper]], automating invoice processing, etc. - I'm familiar with technologies such as [[GIT]], [[Azure]]. I use [[Python]] a lot for daily automation tasks and AI. ### [[Computer science]] from college - [[Computer science]] at college taught me some of [[Linux]] ([[Bash]]), [[C#]], [[C]], [[C++]] ([[A*]] in a maze project), [[SQL]], [[Python]], [[HTML]], [[CSS]], [[JS]], [[PHP]], [[Arduino]], [[electronics]], etc. I use [[Python]] often for most of my projects. I played a bit [[game development|gamedev]] in [[Unity]] in [[C#]], and with [[procedural generation]]. I also played a bit with [[quantum computing]] code. I also did a bit of [[website development|webdev]], I played with making an Amazon clone using [[MERN]] stack with [[React]], [[Redux]], [[Firebase]], [[Stripe]]. and [[Axios]], and I played with [[NodeJS]]. ### Keeping up with [[AI news]] - I'm trying to follow as much of [[state of the art]] in AI [[research]], [[engineering]], [[Politics]] etc. as possible from [AI News • Buttondown](https://buttondown.com/ainews/archive/), various subreddits ([LocalLlama](https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/), [Machine Learning](https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/), [Singularity](https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/)), [X](https://x.com/burny_tech), or from for example [AI explained](https://www.youtube.com/@aiexplained-official) , [bycloud](https://www.youtube.com/@bycloudAI), [ML street talk](https://www.youtube.com/c/machinelearningstreettalk), [Yannic Kilcher](https://www.youtube.com/@YannicKilcher), [Dwarkesh Patel](https://www.youtube.com/@DwarkeshPatel), [Astral Codex Ten | Scott Alexander | Substack](https://www.astralcodexten.com/), [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/), [AI Alignment Forum](https://www.alignmentforum.org/), [LessWrong](https://www.lesswrong.com/), 80K hours, Theo Jaffee, Inside View, Future of Life Institute, Lex Fridman, Cognitive Revolution "How AI Changes Everything", Wes Roth, latent.space, etc. - I post Ai news on my [[Twitter]] and Youtube channel. ### Research (in cognitive science and so on) - Ai research in AI industry mainly around LLMs and RAG - I helped [[cognitive science]] of [[digital sentience]] and [[wellbeing]] in [Qualia Research Institute](https://qri.org/) with various things, helping with a [[book]], helping them do a [[synthesis]] of [[cognitive science]] research and connecting their research with more research, for example: [Grounding QRI in First Principles (Part I): Bridging Computation and Philosophy - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4DPnGxOmh4) - I helped [Active Inference Institute](https://www.activeinference.org/)with a paper on [The Active Inference Institute and Active Inference Ecosystem](https://zenodo.org/records/8266281)from [[cognitive science]], and now I am helping with another Active Inference paper. I played a bit with Active Inference for [[machine learning]] in code. - I cowork with the Czech cognitive science association where I had lecture on the cognitive science of wellbeing in the local czech [[Effective Altruism]] center. I also interacted with [[Archdisciplinary Research Center.]] - This website's [[exocortex]], where I write about a lot of topics, and collect resources on them, is also part of my research ##### Other - I managed and created a bunch of online communities as a [[community]] manager, such as for [[Qualia Research Institute]]. ### Rest of this website - [[Exocortex]] - [[Blog]] - [[Videos]] - [[OmniCortex/Unsorted/Projects|Projects]] - [[How can I/you help]] - [[Contact and links]] ![[Images/d934a99d64e7e7e5316d064aa7c87fec_MD5.jpeg]]