Ira Livshits, Ph.D., Manager, Data Analytics Consulting, EPAM Systems, is an AI strategist and consultant who helps organizations build AI that delivers real ROI — through solutioning, product development, and workflow optimization grounded in a practical, human-centric approach. Before any AI solution takes shape, she spends time understanding people, processes, and decision-making, then makes sure the underlying data foundations are solid, so AI systems can reason reliably and produce results that hold up. In her view, AI is the last step in the process, not the first. Earlier in her career, Ira was a mathematics professor and computational researcher working on complex numerical methods for solving open-ended, difficult problems. She brings that same analytical rigor and practical focus to AI and data today — favoring solutions that hold up in the real world over ones that merely look impressive on paper.