AI DevSummit 2025 + DeveloperWeek Leadership 2025: Full Schedule

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11:30am PDT

PRO Session: The Future of AI-Driven Discovery: Can We Build Recommendation System That Inspire, Not Just Retain?

Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT

Jiahui (Sophia) Bai, Meta, Data Scientist Lead

This talk explores the evolving role of AI-powered recommendation systems in shaping content discovery, moving beyond engagement-driven optimization to fostering meaningful exploration. Today’s recommendation algorithms are finely tuned to maximize user retention, often reinforcing content bubbles and favoring already-popular creators. While effective for keeping users engaged, this approach can limit exposure to new ideas, diverse voices, and serendipitous discovery—key elements that make digital platforms more enriching and dynamic.

We begin by defining the core challenges of AI-driven content recommendations: noisy engagement signals, over-reliance on short-term behavioral data, and algorithmic bias toward dominant content and creators. We explore how improving signal quality—by distinguishing between passive consumption and genuine interest—can lead to more personalized yet diverse recommendations. Next, we tackle the issue of democratizing reach, discussing algorithmic strategies that ensure small and emerging creators have a fair chance to break through without compromising user satisfaction.

The session will also cover rethinking success metrics for recommendation systems, moving beyond click-through rates and watch time to metrics that measure content diversity, long-term engagement, and user well-being. Finally, we will discuss the future of AI-driven discovery, including the role of Generative AI, hybrid human-AI curation, and serendipity-focused models in creating recommendation systems that inspire, inform, and surprise users—rather than just retaining them.

Speakers

Jiahui (Sophia) Bai

Data Scientist Lead, Meta

Sophia Bai is a Senior Data Scientist at Meta, specializing in AI-driven recommendation systems and product analytics. She has led key initiatives in improving signal quality, optimizing content discovery, and redesigning recommendation models to create more balanced and engaging... Read More →

Wednesday May 28, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT
AI DevSummit Main Stage

AI DevSummit

Additional Topics Machine Learning, AI-driven Automation, AI Integration Strategy, Generative AI, AI Product Strategy, Data Engineering
Session Type PRO Session
Tracks AI DevSummit, Frameworks / Tools & Applied AI (AI DevSummit), Machine Learning / Models & Architectures (AI DevSummit)
In-Person/Virtual In Person