Founders of TASS Vision, iDos Games, and Mystory on creating and developing AI products

Shakhzod Umirzakov, CEO and co-founder of TASS Vision
Aidos Ryskeldinov, Founder and CTO of iDos Games
Aitemir Mudinov, co-founder of Mystory

About themselves and their startups

Shakhzod. We specialize in artificial intelligence and computer vision. We integrate our product into store video cameras or install our own smart cameras to conduct analytics. We track foot traffic and conversion rates, identifying bottlenecks in the sales process. Our algorithms help optimize store operations, increasing efficiency and boosting sales volume by 15%.

Over the past four years, we have implemented our technology in more than 1,300 chain stores. Our clients include major retailers specializing in electronics, groceries, and fashion. We operate in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey.

Aidos. We create an ecosystem platform for developing blockchain games and artificial intelligence applications. Previously, we used it as an internal product for generating code, images, and sounds for games. Now, we have transformed it into a standalone service.

Aitemir. We develop therapeutic storybooks using artificial intelligence to help children recover from psychological trauma. We recently started operations in Turkey to assist children affected by the earthquake. Our goal is to make 10 million children happy. So far, we have completed about 2% of this task.

How AI products work

Shakhzod. When offline stores open many branches, they face issues with service quality. This leads to a drop in conversion rates. E-commerce platforms offer many tools for tracking traffic and buyer behavior, but physical stores lack them. We solve this problem by digitizing offline store activities. Our AI tools identify exactly where conversion issues arise and provide a checklist of actions to resolve them.

We use a face detection model. We analyze each video frame to determine how many people visited the store and what actions they performed. The second algorithm was trained on a dataset of five million faces—it determines age and gender within a five-year range with 94% accuracy.

The collected data is synchronized with our servers and integrated into dashboards for convenient monitoring and analysis. Afterward, the AI provides recommendations to increase sales. Our tool also motivates sales staff and managers by offering additional earning opportunities through commissions and bonuses based on conversion rates.

Aidos. We combine several ready-made models—ChatGPT-4, Stable Diffusion, and Dall-E. We fine-tune them on our own data to achieve the desired results.

If we previously used this technology only in games, we now train AI models in various fields depending on specific needs. We added a text-to-sound generation feature. We have expanded language support to over 70 languages, including Kazakh and Russian. We are working on new features such as video generation. We are integrating a blockchain system that will allow purchasing subscriptions via tokens, which can be earned in our games. This creates a closed ecosystem of iDos Games products.

Aitemir. At Mystory, we use open-source models such as ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, and others. We also fine-tune them on our own data. We focus on image generation models to ensure maximum personalization. We ensure that the character in the image resembles a specific child.

For us, content is a means of assistance. A child can see themselves as the main character in a story featuring their loved ones, family, and friends. Children absorb advice more easily through pictures and stories, which helps them overcome mental trauma.

Features and challenges of creating AI products

Shakhzod. Building a software company is simpler: if something goes wrong, the problem can be quickly identified and resolved. In our case, as a hardware company, the situation is more complex: every change requires additional testing. Testing demands more effort because many factors must be considered: weather conditions, network settings, and internal configurations.
I clearly remember one issue—when updating via the cloud, internet connectivity was lost at many locations. An incomplete firmware update caused a system failure that required physical intervention to fix.

Aidos. AI iDos Games is not the company's main project. Therefore, we did not face significant difficulties. The team was already formed. In a short period, we packaged the online service and launched it to the market. We conducted alpha testing internally. So far, no major errors or difficulties have arisen.

Aitemir. For the first book, we used Midjourney and ChatGPT. Afterward, we found our first clients and began communicating with them. At one point, we realized that we wanted to help children through our books. After the acceleration program by Astana Hub and Google for Startups, we managed to increase revenue and find an investor. At that time, we also faced difficulties in finding software development specialists, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence, Computer Vision, and generative models.

The labor market and the development of artificial intelligence

Shakhzod. There is a global shortage of personnel in the field of artificial intelligence. Although many specialists are switching to AI engineering, companies cannot afford to wait. This problem is particularly acute in Central Asia. Our region has few AI professionals. This necessitates outsourcing qualified personnel from other countries, such as South Korea or China, where there are significantly more specialists.

Institutes with AI faculties have begun mass-producing engineers. However, algorithm development requires a huge volume of data. This is a lengthy and resource-intensive process that takes time.

We live in the era of Weak AI—narrow artificial intelligence. AI systems are capable of solving a limited number of tasks without possessing general intellectual capabilities. The next step is the development of General AI. At that point, the distinction between AI and humans will become indistinct. In some areas, technology already surpasses humans, but we need to consolidate all developments and move forward.

Aidos. Recently, there have been layoffs worldwide due to the widespread adoption of AI. Some companies have dismissed up to 50% of their staff. Artificial intelligence is taking over tasks, especially in graphics generation and coding. I believe this trend will continue because AI allows companies to save time and money. However, there will definitely remain employees who can work effectively with artificial intelligence. Such a person can be much more productive than several other employees combined.

For many, the development of AI is a positive phenomenon. However, one should not forget the flip side of the coin. Technologies created for good can be used by fraudsters. Therefore, it is important to regulate this sphere.

Aitemir. I actively use artificial intelligence in my work. Mainly, it is for filling out various applications. This significantly speeds up the process: where I previously spent a week, I now spend two days.

I do not speculate about the future development of AI, as opinions on this matter vary widely.