Teaching Tomorrow’s Tech

Appriss Retail CTO Provides AI Solutions and Education

Are you facing a problem and need help? There’s a generative AI model for that. Vishal Patel, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Appriss Retail and guest lecturer for the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program at the University of Louisville College of Business (CoB), is proving that using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, be it in the boardroom or classroom, is easier than one might think. More importantly, he demonstrates that technology does not replace human intelligence but enhances human capabilities in many ways. Whether developing fraud detection models for retail businesses, risk models for healthcare organizations or guiding students in deep learning courses through complex algorithms, his approach remains the same: to keep technology human-centered, ethical and always aimed at solving real problems.

Modeling Momentum

“I was always interested in technology, computer science, robotics, all of that from a pretty young age…coding and software is almost like a puzzle or problem solving, which I’ve always enjoyed,” shared Patel. Veering from the path of technology for a brief time to explore the more science-based field of biology, he fused his appreciation for both areas of study, earning his undergraduate degree in biotechnology. Eventually, these dual interests would intersect at a research project at Harvard Medical School, which explored “how computational and systems biology can be used for everything, from how metabolic pathways work to how proteins interact with each other or how different genes get regulated,” he noted. “All of that can be studied through mathematical computational models…that was an entirely new field for me.” The experience led to his decision to earn his PhD in computer science from the University of California, Irvine, with a focus on machine learning and computational biology. This decision drove him toward the rapidly growing field of AI and, more specifically, machine learning model development.

Predictive Protection

Eventually moving on to work for Appriss’s other subsidiaries, Appriss Health (rebranded as Bamboo Health in 2021) and Appriss Insights (acquired by Equifax in 2021) before returning to Appriss Retail, Patel worked with his team to develop models and algorithms to identify patients. In the case of Appriss Health, he explained that “we were identifying patients at higher risk for drug overdose. The models and identity graphs we were building were essentially helping pharmacists and doctors use that to make a fast assessment of what is the actual overdose risk of this individual.” At one meeting with the pharmacy boards from almost every state in the US, Patel heard first-hand how the algorithm he and his team had developed was impacting hospitals across the country. “One of the presenters was a doctor who works in the emergency room, and they were talking about how they used our system to get risk signals of, ‘Is this patient undergoing an overdose? What is their prescription history?’ To me, that was profound–to know that millions of these pharmacy prescriptions and dispensations are being analyzed by an algorithm my team and I were working on…and it was having this very real impact on the world. To me, that is the most fascinating aspect of any technology.”

Applying this same model to his continued work at Appriss Retail through his models and algorithms, Patel ensures that businesses can prevent fraudulent behavior. “Our platform is used to identify fraud and abuse, especially on the returns side, both in-store and online,” he shared. “You could have somebody abusing return policies, returning stolen or counterfeit products, falsely claiming an item was not delivered or even returning empty boxes. How do you identify that type of behavior and stop it?” With their machine learning models responsible for processing hundreds of millions of returns worth billions of dollars through various integrated channels and their products used by 60 out of the top 100 retailers in the US, Patel’s models are protecting a large section of retailers across the country by building a powerful line of defense against fraud.

Machine Learning Mastery

Approached by friend and MSBA Program Director Sandeep Goyal to become a guest lecturer, Patel decided to teach a course in deep learning–a type of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to learn from the inputting of data–to students in the program. “I was sharing with him how I used to teach a data sciences class in California, and I had just moved to Louisville and was interested in a role like this because I’ve always found that I enjoy teaching,” he said. “Whenever you explain a difficult concept, you see these new students and fresh minds encountering that concept for the first time, [and] you always see that ‘aha’ moment where they say, ‘Oh, I get it. This is not as difficult as I thought. I get what this is trying to do.’”

Teaching the course at UofL over the past two years, Patel has been frequently surprised by his experiences in the role and how his students approach the task of applying machine learning in new and unexpected ways. Recalling one group of students who brought the subjective field of visual art into their project, he explained that they “detected if a given [piece of art] belonged to that particular painter…trying to apply a modeling technique to it because today that same process happens through human evaluators that are experts in the field, and they’ve studied specific styles,” he shared. “I learned I knew nothing about specific styles of art. So, I learned a lot there.”

Tackling the initial apprehension of a course with a perceived high level of difficulty, Patel strives to teach his content in a way that provides greater ease of understanding–and it’s working. “Almost every class [I] have gotten feedback that, ‘This has been a great experience. Coming into this, I wasn’t sure because the course name is advanced deep learning. Do I have the right skills for this class?’ But instead, they actually felt empowered…that, ‘I understand what a neural network model is, and yes, I did build one. I can start building something bigger and better.’ That has been honestly a very humbling experience for me.”

Are you looking to transform your career by gaining skills in AI? With business courses and an executive education certificate geared toward generative AI learning, we can help you optimize your future. Learn more at https://business.louisville.edu/academics-programs/

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