Olcay Yılmazçoban, Co-founder & CEO of SenpAI – Interview Series

Olcay Yılmazçoban is the Co-founder & CEO of FalconAI Technologies, Inc & SenpAI which uses machine learning to provide the necessary tools for players to enrich their Esports experience.. He completed his MSc in the joint program of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Skoltech. He authored and is featured as an expert in reputable international press including Forbes and Venture Beat.

When did you initially come across the concept of applying AI towards coaching gamers & esports players?

The initial idea came in a very interesting moment, when I was practicing Aikido. Aikido is a martial art system and the most senior student among the trainees called SenpAI. SenpAI is a Japanese word and basically, it means teaching assistant. So SenpAI provides you continuous feedback to improve your skills in the Aikido training and I thought that we can use AI to create our own digital teaching assistants to provide us continuous feedback so we can learn faster and improve ourselves. As a fan of gaming & esports, I could have my digital SenpAI which will provide me feedback about how to play video games better. We got together with my co-founder Berk Ozer and kick-started developing SenpAI.GG.

SenpAI.GG is the all-in-one gaming assistant to elevate the performance of competitive gamers by utilizing patent-pending AI technologies. SenpAI.GG empowers gamers in their end-to-end gaming experience with pre-game & post-game analysis to maximize their win probability and improve their gameplay. SenpAI.GG Desktop App runs a deep analysis of the play style of gamers, pinpointing their strengths and weaknesses. Users gain access to instant recommendations and AI-generated video clips, all tailored to their interests and needs.

SenpAI.GG is by developed by FalconAI. Could you tell us about the machine learning technologies that are used with FalconAI?

SenpAI.GG is developed by FalconAI. We are a VC-backed startup based in Boston, MA. We are using a diverse set of AI technologies to empower SenpAI.GG. For example, we use deep neural network structures to prepare in-depth performance reports to maximize the win probability of the players. We train our models with millions of game data to be able to provide the best set of action and personalized roadmap to the players. We also use computer vision to create video highlights from pro-player games and extract all the necessary information. SenpAI.GG Desktop App utilizes all these technologies to provide pre-game and post-game suggestions and the best-personalized content based on your needs and interest.

What types of improvements can players expect from using SenpAI.GG?

SenpAI.GG is an all-in-one gaming assistant that supports players with pre-game and post-game suggestions. Players can import pro player items/runes with a single click and learn about counter matchups, tier lists and best picks. Players can also see pro player champion guides, their personalized roadmap and watch pro player video highlights to improve their gameplay.

What are the current games the AI platform can work with?

SenpAI.GG is currently available for League of Legends and VALORANT players worldwide and will be available soon for many other games. Initially, we plan to release TFT, CS:GO, Fortnite, and Dota2.

Have you personally tested the AI, what types of improvements have you personally experienced?

Yes, I have. AI helped me see the aspects of the game that I’ve not been paying attention. SenpAI.GG served me to find the content that I need much quicker than I would have found. In that sense, SenpAI.GG is a product developed by gamers for gamers. As SenpAI.GG team, we constantly test SenpAI.GG to see what we could add or improve to create a high-quality environment for players. I have been personally participating in the tests since day one and had the chance to evaluate our developments in a way that has the potential to support our team of experts with a fresh eye. We are lucky to be able to bring different perspectives to SenpAI .GG with our diverse backgrounds, which I think adds significant value to our goal.

How have players reacted from receiving this coaching?

Our user base is quite active in our development. As we develop new features, we find it essential to get their thoughts and feedback on SenpAI.GG through various tools such as surveys and live tests. In general, we feel content with the interest of the gamers in SenpAI.GG and it's a top priority to create a product that will meet the needs of improvement of them. We are pleased to be able to offer continuous innovations to the users by developing our favorite features in line with the demands and needs of gamers.

Could you discuss how a player would get started using SenpAI.GG?

SenpAI.GG is a gaming-assistant designed with a player perspective so that powerful artificial intelligence algorithms can be used effectively, even for users who have never played the games we support before. SenpAI.GG works on the basis of the step-by-step development of its users from a professional player perspective and giving users in-depth statistics with insights for before and after the game. Gamers of all ages and levels who want to improve their gameplay and the overall mindset can download the desktop application from our website and start their training right away after connecting their game account with the account that has been created on SenpAI.GG.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about SenpAI.GG?

SenpAI.GG team is growing, if you are passionate about AI or if you are eager to create any content for gaming & esports, please do not hesitate to connect with us. We are very excited to release new features for our Valorant solution very soon, please stay tuned!

Thank you for the interview.