Turning ‘We Should Use AI’ Into Working Solutions

"I had the opportunity to work with Ilija on integrating AI capabilities into our resource management system. He implemented a solution that connected our internal APIs with large language model APIs and introduced a chatbot-style interface that made navigating our system significantly easier, especially for non-technical users. Ilija delivered the project on time and was great to collaborate with throughout the process. He combines strong technical expertise with a practical understanding of how AI can be applied to improve real-world systems. I’d definitely recommend him to anyone looking to integrate AI into their products or internal tools."

"Ilija is a real professional, focused and skilled in the ML aspects of AI. We built a great very innovative product with him, Ilija was very pleasant to work with and we had a great time on the job. Highly recommended!"

"I have had the opportunity to work with Ilija Lazarević in various professional contexts. As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at smartocto, he was the backbone of the development and engineering tasks carried out by my team. I quickly realized that Ilija is an exceptionally reliable and efficient engineer who approaches every task with an eye for potential innovation. Together, we easily embraced the development of applications and services based on generative AI just a few weeks after these technologies became available. As a lecturer, Ilija delivered a course on the fundamentals of Machine Learning and Data Science in Python through my consultancy company, DataKolektiv. I remember that even then, before our collaboration at smartocto, I realized that he was simply the best Python programmer I had ever met. Finally, we were co-founders of the Serbian association of ML, AI, and Data Science professionals, MACHINERY, which crowned our collaboration with a wide circle of colleagues in these fields through the organization of numerous events, conferences, and discussions. Over the years of working together, we became friends and developed a deep mutual respect. Therefore, I can only give the highest recommendation for Ilija Lazarević, relying on my first-hand knowledge of his work, as well as my trust and respect for him as both a person and a professional."

"Ilija and me worked together in Smartocto for more than a year. He always delivered high-quality results and respected agreed deadlines. His expertise in ML and AI was evident throughout our collaboration, and his contributions added real value to the Smartocto product. I would gladly recommend him to any team or organization."