Sberbank and ITMO University: Sim4Rec Simulator for recommendation systems

2023: Open access to all developers

Sberbank on June 14, 2023 opened its development to everyone - the Sim4Rec library, which is capable of using generative artificial intelligence to simulate the user's reaction to proposals of a recommendation system based on synthetic data. This was told by the first deputy chairman of the board of Sberbank Alexander Vedyakhin.

Generative artificial intelligence can not only create pictures or text, but also solve less typical problems, such as simulating client actions, creating a digital double of the user. The library represents the user as a model and simulates his actions taking into account the history of views, context, ordered goods or services.

The solution Sim4Rec developed jointly by Sberbank researchers and the National Center for Cognitive Development of ITMO University, the NTI competence center. Sim4Rec can be used to train, test and evaluate the quality of recommendation systems. Since data is generated synthetically (programmatically), the library ensures the confidentiality of personal data and allows you to train recommendation algorithms without testing them on real users.

{{quote 'author = said Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Sberbank. | We understand that the race for artificial intelligence is in full swing, and time here is a key factor. That is why we consistently advocate the exchange of best practices and tools that accelerate the development of new technologies and help Russia to enter leading positions in this industry. Our Sim4Rec simulator helps developers improve recommendation systems faster by working with synthetic data - it's reliable, efficient and secure,}}