FutuStories - Jack Richardson

What’s your role at Futurice?

From the very beginning, I’ve worked hard to keep my focus on achieving real impact with data and AI. Over the years, this has involved many teams, roles, and approaches. I started in a team that experimented with using data and AI internally to explore what kinds of insights and transformations were possible, particularly with messy data sources like social media, news, and patent data. We were exploring, and data science was not yet a high priority for most companies.

Next, I worked on data management and business intelligence, mostly Futurice’s internal data model and reporting. This was a reality check after the experimental stuff! It really drilled into my head the importance of having a decent data infrastructure foundation and visibility before tackling advanced analytics.

And then along came ChatGPT and generative AI, which changed everything almost immediately. I now work with a team called Edge on offering development, sales, and data & AI transformation projects for clients. Now, data and AI are a high priority for most companies we work with.

My preference for tangible, hands-on experimentation over pretty slides is the one constant. We love to get our hands dirty and try things out, and when we talk to clients, we can do so with real, first-hand experience.

And all this started with poker?

Yes. I was a professional poker player for nine years. My career started with a $50 deposit on an online poker site. I was hooked by the competitive nature. Poker got me into two topics in a big way; one was behavioral science. I was getting an intimate understanding of my and my opponents’ biases and mistakes. I started reading. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman was a real light bulb moment. I realized there was something genuine behind my intuitive experience. The other was AI. Poker, like chess, has a long history as a research topic in academic AI research.

When I started, game theory was not really a topic that poker players discussed; when I ended, it was all about who has the best software to calculate game optimal strategy and who can turn the outputs of that software into practical strategies at the table. I experienced the AI transformation in this little bubble of poker. My interest in behavioral science and AI are still core elements of my work.

What brought you to Futurice?

After poker, I co-founded a startup focused on collaboration tools, aiming to apply poker’s global and flexible work style to the business world. Eventually, we worked with Futurice as a client, where I experienced the openness and culture. I remember pitching ideas to senior leaders, and instead of skepticism, they welcomed our fresh perspective. That attitude made joining Futurice a natural next step. I still had some reservations about getting a “real” job, but you helped put them to rest. On one of my first days at Futurice there was a company-wide event, FutuFriday. I’d just joined and thought the odds were it would be stuffy, awkward, and boring, But then you started playing the banjo in the middle of the event, and I thought, “This place is definitely different.” That moment helped me realize that Futurice might be the perfect fit for me after years of working independently.

What are you particularly excited about right now?

We’re currently diving into a Business Finland project, exploring new frontiers of AI that clients aren’t ready for yet, disruptive Horizon 3 ideas. So I’m getting back to experimentation and exploration and looking for ways to stay ahead in technology by working on groundbreaking ideas that may shape future industries.