Dr. Nasir Ahsan

CEO and co-founder of Abyss Solutions

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Dr. Nasir Ahsan is the CEO and co-founder of Abyss Solutions Ltd. He was born in Karachi. He did a PhD in applying machine learning to marine robotics and received the degree in 2014.

Early life and background

Ahsan was born in Karachi. He left home at 16, in 1997. He and his sister were sent to Pakistan to study and do high school. He left Saudi Arabia for good in 2004. [1]

Education

Ahsan says he disliked computer science during his first couple of years of studying it. He went to Australia to do his master's degree. He went to the University of New South Wales under the supervision of a doctor. [1]

He spent about two years applying machine learning to molecular biology. He felt he was becoming a toolmaker for biologists and moved away from molecular biology. He then decided to move into robotics. [1]

Ahsan applied for a PhD at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics. His PhD proposal was to build an underwater positioning device like a GPS. He struggled for a couple of years to identify the problem for his PhD. [1]

His PhD was in applying machine learning to marine robotics. He aimed to make the vehicle intelligent enough that it did not come back with 10 terabytes of data. He finished his PhD in 2013 and received the degree in 2014. [1]

Research and early career

Ahsan worked at NUST for two years. He says he worked on UAVs and drones. He says he first had the idea that people needed to work technologically on defensive mechanisms. [1]

He wanted to work with the Pakistan Army. He left Australia without taking permanent residency. [1]

Ocean expeditions

Ahsan sailed with the team of Dr. Bob Ballard, who found the Titanic. He took part in an exploration of hydrothermal vents in the Caribbean. He also took part in a one-month expedition in the Atlantic, off Trinidad and Tobago. He says his team tracked bubbles down to 4 kilometers. His team used a multi-million dollar remotely operated vehicle. [1]

Ahsan says fewer people have been to the bottom of the ocean than to the moon. He describes crustaceans feeding on crustaceans, and fish feeding on them. He describes coming upon a jungle the size of a football field. [1]

Mining and leaving academia

After his PhD, Ahsan took a postdoc applying the same technology to mining. He worked with the Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation. He worked on a completely autonomous coal mining drill rig. [1]

Ahsan was handed a termination notice and lost his job. He was told the reason was that the coal project was closing. He lost his job and quit, and had been thinking for some time that he needed to get out of academia. He came to see academia as a golden cage. [1]

Abyss Solutions

Ahsan started the company in 2014. The company started in Australia. It grew out of ideas and research from his earlier work. [1]

The company started without capital, as its founders were academics. Ahsan recalls times when only about two weeks of runway remained. The company already had Chevron and Anadarko among its clients. Its technology was being applied in the oil and gas sector. [1]

Ahsan says his company does not make drones but programs them to do things. He has also worked on AUVs, aerial drones and agricultural applications. He says he has applied AI to robotic perception and planning for about 20 years. [1]

Ahsan moved to Houston, Texas, after being based in Australia. He says America is the land for a new technology company, citing its adoption of new technologies and its appetite for risk. The company operates from Sydney, Houston, Rio, Aberdeen, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Islamabad. He says the company aspires to reach 5 billion in revenue in the next 10 to 15 years. [1]

Abyss Pakistan

Ahsan says Abyss Pakistan is the only subsidiary with its own separate vision. The Abyss Pakistan vision is to be embedded in Pakistan's core economic infrastructure through robotics and AI. He wants Pakistan to become an export centre for robotics and AI. [1]

Views

Ahsan says research is becoming commercialized and fundamental research is finishing. He says the American publish-or-perish type model is killing everything. He says the fundamental novel scientific contributions came up to the 1950s. [1]

He says AI today is nothing more than pattern recognition. He says human intelligence includes creativity, intuition and emotions. He says mathematics is limited, and that the ability to express a concept defines the capability to solve problems. He says robots will not take over the world. [1]

Ahsan describes Pakistan as a severely underutilized market. He identifies brain drain as one of Pakistan's major problems. He says revenue generation should be a core priority for Pakistan. He says Pakistan is not a conducive environment at the moment. [1]

Ahsan says he wants to become a top investor in Pakistan, including in microfinance. He says he invests to improve governance, not to seek returns. He says he wants to build schools but not run them. He plans to invite experts from overseas back to Pakistan. [1]

Personal life

Ahsan's wife is one of the co-founders of Abyss Solutions. He says his purpose is to help people. He says he was never a good student. [1]

Timeline

1997
Left home at 16.[1]
2004
Left Saudi Arabia for good.[1]
2013
Finished his PhD.[1]
2014
Received his PhD degree and started the company.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-09-13 The AI scientist who says fundamental science already ended Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Dr. Nasir Ahsan?

Dr. Nasir Ahsan is the CEO and co-founder of Abyss Solutions Ltd. He was born in Karachi. He did a PhD in applying machine learning to marine robotics and received the degree in 2014.[1]

What does Dr. Nasir Ahsan do?

Dr. Nasir Ahsan is the CEO and co-founder of Abyss Solutions Ltd. He says his company does not make drones but programs them to do things. He has also worked on AUVs, aerial drones and agricultural applications.[1]

Where is Dr. Nasir Ahsan from?

Dr. Nasir Ahsan was born in Karachi. He left Saudi Arabia for good in 2004. He moved to Houston, Texas, after being based in Australia.[1]

What company did Dr. Nasir Ahsan found?

Dr. Nasir Ahsan co-founded Abyss Solutions Ltd and is its CEO. He started the company in 2014, and it started in Australia. His wife is one of its co-founders.[1]

What did Dr. Nasir Ahsan research for his PhD?

Dr. Nasir Ahsan did a PhD in applying machine learning to marine robotics. He aimed to make the vehicle intelligent enough that it did not come back with 10 terabytes of data. He finished the PhD in 2013 and received the degree in 2014.[1]

What is the vision of Abyss Pakistan?

Dr. Nasir Ahsan says Abyss Pakistan is the only subsidiary with its own separate vision. The vision is to be embedded in Pakistan's core economic infrastructure through robotics and AI. He also wants Pakistan to become an export centre for robotics and AI.[1]

References

  1. The AI scientist who says fundamental science already ended . Thought Behind Things , 2023-09-13.
Show the source passages (72 statements)
  1. Nasir Ahsan is the CEO and co-founder of Abyss Solutions Ltd. Nasir Ahsan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Abyss Solutions Ltd.
  2. He was born in Karachi. main Karachi mein paida hua tha
  3. He left home at 16, in 1997. I left home by the way in 97. So when I was at the age of 16.
  4. He and his sister were sent to Pakistan to study and do high school. mujhe aur meri behan ko Pakistan bhej diya to study and do high school
  5. He left Saudi Arabia for good in 2004. and then I left Saudi Arabia in 2004 for good.
  6. He disliked computer science during his first couple of years of studying it. I hated computer science for the first couple of years.
  7. He went to Australia to do his master's degree. I spent about six months and then I went to Australia to do my masters.
  8. He went to the University of New South Wales under the supervision of a doctor. I was fortunate enough to go to under the supervision of Dr. Mike Bain, uh, University of New South Wales.
  9. He spent about two years applying machine learning to molecular biology. when I spent two years, um I mean, applying machine learning into molecular biology
  10. He felt he was becoming a toolmaker for biologists and moved away from molecular biology. I just felt like I'm more and more becoming a toolmaker for biologists.
  11. He then decided to move into robotics. And that's when I decided to get into robotics.
  12. He applied for a PhD at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics. Aur main already PhD ka proposal apply karke aa chuka tha at Australian Centre for Field Robotics.
  13. His PhD proposal was to build an underwater positioning device like a GPS. I was going to build an absolute positioning device like a GPS underwater
  14. He struggled for a couple of years to identify the problem for his PhD. And I struggled for a couple of years to re-identify what problem I'm going to be working on.
  15. His PhD was in applying machine learning to marine robotics. I did a PhD in applying machine learning to marine robotics
  16. He aimed to make the vehicle intelligent enough that it did not come back with 10 terabytes of data. I need to make the vehicle intelligent enough so that it doesn't come back with 10 terabytes of data
  17. He finished his PhD in 2013 and received the degree in 2014. I finished it in 2013. I submitted my thesis and then got my degree in 2014.
  18. He worked at NUST for two years. Aur phir maine do saal NUST mein guzare
  19. He worked on UAVs and drones. hum log uh UAVs uh the aerial vehicles ke upar kaam kar, drones ke upar kaam kar rahe the
  20. He says he first had the idea that people needed to work technologically on defensive mechanisms. And that's when I first had the idea ki hum logon ko defensive mechanisms ke upar technologically kaam karne ki zaroorat hai.
  21. He wanted to work with the Pakistan Army. I want to work with the Pakistan Army
  22. He left Australia without taking permanent residency. I left Australia, PR nahi li.
  23. He sailed with the team of Dr. Bob Ballard, who found the Titanic. Dr. Bob Ballard is the guy who found the Titanic. I was fortunate enough to sail with his team.
  24. He took part in an exploration of hydrothermal vents in the Caribbean. aur maine Caribbean mein bhi humne exploration ki thi of hydrothermal vents
  25. He took part in a one-month expedition in the Atlantic, off Trinidad and Tobago. we went off into the Atlantic as well, off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. Ek mahine ka hamara mission tha.
  26. He says his team tracked bubbles down to 4 kilometers. we tracked those bubbles down to 4 kilometers.
  27. His team used a multi-million dollar remotely operated vehicle. Using our ROV, which is a huge ROV, bahut freaking multi-million dollar ROV thi, Hercules.
  28. He says fewer people have been to the bottom of the ocean than to the moon. lesser people have been to the bottom of the ocean than to the moon
  29. He describes crustaceans feeding on crustaceans, and fish feeding on them. Uske upar crustaceans feed crustaceans feed karte the, uske upar fish feed karti thi
  30. He describes coming upon a jungle the size of a football field. we turn upon this completely football field size jungle
  31. After his PhD he took a postdoc applying the same technology to mining. right after my PhD I started my postdoc. So I took the same technology and applied it to mining.
  32. He worked with the Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation. So I worked with Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation.
  33. He worked on a completely autonomous coal mining drill rig. I was working on a completely autonomous coal mining drill rig
  34. He was handed a termination notice and lost his job. I was handed my my a termination. You're fired.
  35. He was told the reason was that the coal project was closing. Uh because they're closing the coal project.
  36. He lost his job and quit, and had been thinking for some time that he needed to get out of academia. And so I quit. I I lost my job and that's main soch raha tha kuch arse se ke I need to get out of academia.
  37. He came to see academia as a golden cage. So that's when I realized ke yaar this is a golden freaking cage.
  38. He says research is becoming commercialized and fundamental research is finishing. Research is becoming commercialized. Fundamental research is finishing.
  39. He says the American publish-or-perish type model is killing everything. Yeh America ka jo publish or perish type model hai na, it's killing everything.
  40. He says the fundamental novel scientific contributions came up to the 1950s. Hamari jitni bhi fundamental novel scientific contributions thi woh 50s tak aayi thi
  41. He says AI today is nothing more than pattern recognition. AI jo aaj kal ki duniya mein aapko nazar aa rahi hai is nothing more than pattern recognition.
  42. He says human intelligence includes creativity, intuition and emotions. What real human intelligence comprises of is creativity, intuition, emotions.
  43. He says mathematics is limited, and that the ability to express a concept defines the capability to solve problems. Mathematics is limited. Your your ability to express a concept is going to define your capability to solve problems.
  44. He says robots will not take over the world. Ha please being an AI guy koi ye na kahe ke robots will take over the world because that's not happening.
  45. He says his company does not make drones but programs them to do things. We don't make drones, we program them to do things.
  46. He started the company in 2014. when I started this company in 2014
  47. The company grew out of ideas and research from his earlier work. we spun off the the the kind of ideas and research we were working on
  48. He has also worked on AUVs, aerial drones and agricultural applications. maine AUVs ke saath aerial drones ke saath agricultural applications ke upar bhi kaam kiya hai
  49. He says he has applied AI to robotic perception and planning for about 20 years. I come from the background of being able to apply artificial intelligence uh for perception and robotic robotic perception and planning and that's what I've been doing for the last 20 years or so.
  50. His wife is one of the co-founders of Abyss Solutions. my wife is one of the co-founders of solutions
  51. The company started without capital, as its founders were academics. capital koi nahi tha kyunke academic the paise koi nahi the
  52. He recalls times when only about two weeks of runway remained. Mujhe abhi bhi yaad hai do do hafte ke runway reh jaate the
  53. The company already had Chevron and Anadarko among its clients. we already had um Chevron, Maxon, and Anadarko, BPS clients
  54. The company's technology was being applied in the oil and gas sector. So our technology was being applied in the oil and gas sector
  55. He moved to Houston, Texas, after being based in Australia. I used to be based out of Australia, but uh I'm currently based out of Houston, Texas.
  56. He says America is the land for a new technology company, citing its adoption of new technologies and its appetite for risk. the adoption of new technologies, we're a new technology company, toh woh risk taking appetite aur nayi technologies ka appetite, um America's America is the land for it
  57. The company started in Australia. kyunke hamari company Australia mein start hui thi
  58. The company operates from Sydney, Houston, Rio, Aberdeen, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Islamabad. from Sydney, Houston, Rio, Aberdeen, uh UAE and now Alhamdulillah, the Haran, Saudi Arabia, Islamabad
  59. He says Abyss Pakistan is the only subsidiary with its own separate vision. hamara Abyss Pakistan is the only subsidiary with a separate vision
  60. The Abyss Pakistan vision is to be embedded in Pakistan's core economic infrastructure through robotics and AI. Our vision is to become so embedded in the future core economic infrastructure of Pakistan through robotics and AI that no decision can be made without our influence.
  61. He wants Pakistan to become an export centre for robotics and AI. to make it an export center for robotics and AI
  62. He describes Pakistan as a severely underutilized market. Toh Pakistan is a severely underutilized market.
  63. He identifies brain drain as one of Pakistan's major problems. One of the major problem that we've we've seen facing Pakistan these days is brain drain.
  64. He says revenue generation should be a core priority for Pakistan. revenue generation is one of the core core fundamental priorities of Pakistan right now
  65. He says Pakistan is not a conducive environment at the moment. Sir Pakistan is not a conducive environment at the moment.
  66. He says the company aspires to reach 5 billion in revenue in the next 10 to 15 years. where we aspire to get to 5 billion in revenue in the next 10 years to 15 years
  67. He says he wants to become a top investor in Pakistan, including in microfinance. my goal is to become a top investor in Pakistan. To invest in microfinance.
  68. He says he invests to improve governance, not to seek returns. My goal is to invest not to seek returns but to govern.
  69. He says he wants to build schools but not run them. I would like to build schools. I'm not going to run schools.
  70. He plans to invite experts from overseas back to Pakistan. I will invite experts from overseas back to Pakistan.
  71. He says his purpose is to help people. But I know that my purpose is to help people.
  72. He says he was never a good student. I was never a good student.