Developing Scalable AI Solutions

From assisting powerline inspections to mining hidden insights from emails and documents, Dennis Chew, AI Team Lead at our Group Engineering Centre (GEC), spearheads efforts to develop AI tools that streamline everyday tasks and drive innovation across our Group. Dennis shares more on how his team is leveraging AI to empower employees and transform the way we work.

Q: Tell us what you do at work.

I focused on creating practical, scalable AI solutions for the Group. I lead a specialised team within our GEC, our central hub for innovation and technological excellence. Together, we refine, package, and deploy AI models that address a wide range of business needs. These are packaged into reusable common modules, which serve as the building blocks to power AI-driven applications across domains.

Q: How are reusable common modules used across ST Engineering? 

Our Reusable Video Data Analytics core (REVIDA) streamlines machine learning operations by automating complex tasks. It played a key role in our DroNet delivery for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), where it was used to inspect powerlines and solar panels. The Video Analytics AI module I developed for REVIDA automates video feed analysis, speeding up inspections and improving accuracy while reducing manual effort.

Another module, AGIL^® Knowledge AI Studio, is an agentic platform that automates tasks like finance and business processes using AI. It acts as a decision-making co-pilot, taking AI from being a mere assistant to something far more proactive and autonomous.

Q: What excites you most about developing these cores?

It’s the versatility. Take REVIDA, for example – it’s not just limited to powerline inspections. Its video analytics capabilities can be applied to other industry sectors, from manufacturing to urban planning. Watching one core unlock potential across multiple domains is truly fulfilling, and we achieve this by collaborating with our diverse business teams. Together, we can magnify our innovation efforts to solve real-world challenges for customers across industries.

Q: What’s one thing you’d like others to know about your work?

Our reusable common modules are catalysts for transformation, empowering teams across the Group to turn everyday challenges into opportunities for innovation. Being part of this work means harnessing the power of AI to drive meaningful change, transform visionary ideas into actionable solutions, and contribute to efforts that create a lasting impact across communities. 

Q: How do you see AI evolving, and what role will our Group play in that future?

AI is moving from assistive to agentic. This means it will evolve from just supporting tasks to making decisions and executing them. With reusable common modules like AGIL Knowledge AI Studio and many others, we’re at the forefront of this shift, working with our business teams to harness AI’s full potential. I’m excited to be part of various innovation teams pushing boundaries and driving transformation!