AI innovations dominate the career fair

ISLAMABAD:

The influence of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to expand into various facets of life, and even undergraduate students in Pakistan are choosing to explore AI in their final year projects (FYPs) , presented at a recent job fair.

A leading science and engineering institution in the country hosted its annual career fair, inviting industry stalwarts to evaluate students’ product prototypes, with AI emerging as a predominant theme.

At the end of the academic year, universities like FAST National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences host career fairs, providing a platform for industry experts to assess students’ FYPs, foster connections, and assess the pool of talent entering the job market.

The FAST 2024 career fair featured more than 200 student projects, primarily focused on AI-based solutions. Among the most notable projects was “FASTrack,” an AI-powered applicant tracking system (ATS), which attracted attention for its innovative approach. This initiative offers a unique and intelligent algorithmic system capable of searching a CV database and returning tiered lists of candidates according to the specific requirements of the job description entered by an employer.

Designed by junior students, ‘FASTrack’ has attracted interest from various companies such as Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) and Transworld, with some expressing interest in acquisition.

“This is the kind of project I would expect from students at a top engineering university in Pakistan,” said United SOL HR Manager Saeed Yaqoob while engaging with the product FASTrack.

Another project programmed an app that allows cell phone cameras to read photoplethysmography (PPG), allowing users to measure their vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and more. Another AI product, ‘LLM-Konnect’, also used natural language processing to offer businesses easily implementable chatbots that also generated insightful data and analytical reports on demand.

From AI applications in the medical field to assisted learning to business solutions, the range of products showcased by students at the career fair demonstrated that young, aspiring engineers in Pakistan are eager to work with the latest technologies and contribute to their advancement.

However, several professionals visiting the show, while recognizing the talents and ambitions of students, noted a lack of supervision in universities. As Zohaib Adnan from Antematter says: “There remains a huge gap between what these students are learning and what the industry is looking for. Integrating industry with institutions is the only solution to this problem.

While the students’ projects were displayed at stands set up on the university grounds, a total of 176 companies were also present on campus. Among the professionals invited to hold their recruitment drives in the university’s classrooms were major companies such as Jazz, Tandiiti, Quest Labs, the US Embassy and many more.

FAST 2024 job fair. PHOTO: EXPRESS

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th2024.