I Putu Cikal Taruna
Technology Leader & AI Engineer
Professional Summary
Technology leader and AI engineer with 5+ years of experience in executive leadership, AI/ML engineering, product management, and data analytics. Currently CEO & Co-Founder of AsesAi, directing AI product strategy and hands-on engineering for an AI-native assessment platform, and Founding Product Lead of Drillo.id, a self-learning drilling platform built from zero. Led AI engineering for EdTech platform serving 200K+ users, architecting RAG pipelines generating 5K+ outputs monthly while reducing AI costs by 50% and improving accuracy by 30%. Managed cross-functional teams of 20+ people across technical and business functions. Built predictive models and executive dashboards improving business decision-making by 35%. Published researcher in e-government security. International education with student exchange in Malaysia.
Professional Experience
• Built Drillo.id from zero to launch: a self-learning drilling platform with structured practice sets, explanations, instant feedback, learning materials, and live tryouts for learners from elementary school to professionals
• Designed the initial product experience and runs product management end to end, from roadmap and prioritization to delivery with engineering
• Set up the entire content foundation, including question banks, explanations, and learning materials across all learner segments
• Directs AI product strategy and go-to-market execution for AI-native assessment platform with LLM-powered question generation, live scoring, and real-time ranking
• Leads technical architecture while remaining hands-on with engineering, building production AI systems using Python and Golang
• Partners with product and engineering leads to define requirements, prioritize features, and manage delivery milestones
• Builds strategic partnerships and investor relationships to secure funding and accelerate company growth
• Scaled AI engineering for platform serving 200K+ users, managing end-to-end ML deployment and model evaluation
• Architected RAG pipelines generating 5K+ questions monthly, reducing content creation time by 60%
• Improved output accuracy by 30% and reduced AI processing costs by 50% through model evaluation and LangFuse token optimization
• Evaluated GPT-4, Gemini, and Perplexity capabilities to establish model selection framework across use cases
• Directed 20+ person cross-functional team spanning C-Level, Academic, Marketing, and IT for national competition serving 8K+ students
• Built data systems and workflows enabling real-time simulation tests at national scale
• Managed national competition registration with PUSPRESNAS and SIMT, coordinating government compliance documentation
• Led 3-member QA team across 10+ applications serving 200K+ users, reducing post-release defects by 25%
• Built automation framework with Python, Selenium, and Grafana K6, cutting testing costs by 40% and boosting efficiency by 50%
• Achieved 30% decrease in bug resolution time through structured documentation and streamlined release cycles by 20%
• Improved AI-generated content quality by 50% building generation tools using Python, LangChain, GPT-4, and Gemini
• Reduced AI processing costs by 50% implementing LangFuse token efficiency strategies across production systems
• Improved content accuracy by 30% through user feedback analysis and optimized prompting techniques
• Led 7-member cross-functional team building B2B exam platform using Agile methodology with Notion and GitHub
• Boosted exam creation efficiency by 80% designing AI-driven content generation and question randomization tools
• Developed Business Requirement Documents (BRD) aligning system design with business needs and stakeholder expectations
• Increased student retention by 25% building executive dashboards using Looker Studio and PostgreSQL
• Improved decision-making by 35% creating interactive dashboards with real-time student performance and business metrics
• Improved prediction accuracy by 20% developing predictive models with Python to forecast student exam outcomes
• Reduced manual workloads by 40% automating data reporting tasks using Python and SQL
• Built core SmartBTW mobile app features serving 200K+ users with Flutter, Dart, and Firebase, including fitness tracking, real-time location mapping, and psychometric testing modules
• Implemented Samapta sports calculation feature with GPS tracking, expanding student assessment from academic to physical fitness metrics
• Shipped mobile-first features in collaboration with cross-functional product, design, and backend teams for Indonesia's leading EdTech platform
• Planned resources, timelines, and feature scope for five hospitality applications: Back Office, Front Office, Booking Engine, Accounting, and POS
• Reported progress, risks, and milestones to the board of directors and kept internal teams and external stakeholders aligned
• Designed and built a Flutter mobile POS app with GetX, working with system analysts and backend engineers on workflows and API integration
Gen AI Developer (Freelance) | Freelance | Dec 2024 - Mar 2025
IT Security Auditor (Consultant) | Relawan TIK Provinsi Bali / Denpasar City Government | Jan 2022 - Dec 2023
Assistant Professor | Primakara University | Feb 2021 - Aug 2021
Mobile Application Developer | PT Bamboomedia Cipta Persada | Nov 2018 - Mar 2019
Education
Key Projects
Academic Publications
• Evaluasi Keamanan Sistem Pemerintahan Berbasis Elektronik di Kota XYZ — SPBE security evaluation using ISMS (Indeks KAMI) and COBIT 5 APO13, JUTIK (Jurnal Teknologi Informasi dan Komputer), 2022
• Vulnerability Assessment Sistem Manajemen Keamanan Informasi Studi Kasus Sistem SIDARLING dan JAGABAYA Kota Denpasar — Vulnerability assessment of government e-service systems, JUTIK (Jurnal Teknologi Informasi dan Komputer), 2022
• Pengenalan dan Implementasi Konsep Digital Literacy dalam Kondisi BDR bagi Orang Tua Masa Kini — Digital literacy education for parents during remote learning, JIIP (Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan), 2021
Certifications
• LLM-Based Tools and Gemini API Integration for Data Scientists - MBA - 010 — Hactiv8, 2025
• Binar Academy Bootcamp Data Science Wave 005 — Binar Academy, 2023
• Certificate in Business Intelligence Associate — Logical Operations, 2022
• Myskill Intensive Bootcamp Fullstack Data Analysis — Myskill, 2022
• Google IT Support — Coursera, 2022
• System Analyst — Indonesian Professional Certification Authority (BNSP), 2022
• Kotlin Android Developer Expert — Dicoding Academy, 2019
Technical Skills
AI & Machine Learning: LangChain, OpenAI API (GPT-4), Google Gemini & Vertex AI, RAG Pipelines, Prompt Engineering, LangFuse, Perplexity API, Predictive Modeling, Token Optimization
Programming Languages: Python (Expert, 5+ yrs), Dart/Flutter (Expert, 5+ yrs), JavaScript/TypeScript (3+ yrs), SQL (5+ yrs), Golang, Java
Web & Mobile: React, Flutter, Firebase, FastAPI, GetX, Vite, RESTful APIs, WordPress
Data & Databases: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, ElasticSearch, Looker Studio, Pandas, Data Pipelines, Web Scraping, Streamlit
QA & Automation: Selenium, Grafana K6 (Load Testing), Test Automation, Performance Testing, CI/CD, Git/GitHub
Security & Compliance: ISO 27001 Auditing, IT Security Assessment, Risk Management, Vulnerability Assessment, ISMS, COBIT 5
Leadership & Management: Executive Leadership, Team Management (20+), Product Strategy, Agile/Scrum, Business Development, GTM Strategy, Stakeholder Management
Tools & Platforms: Notion, Jira, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Docker
Leadership & Recognition
• Top 10 11th Next Dev Telkomsel, Telkomsel (2025 - 2026)
• Jury Member, PIDI ASRID 2025 — Perhimpunan Instruktur Digital Indonesia (Nov 2025 - Dec 2025)
• Google AI Lab Solution, Google (Nov 2025)
• Chapter Lead, Google Developer Student Clubs — Primakara University (Aug 2021 - Jun 2022)
• Vice President of Information Systems Student Association, Primakara University (Jan 2021 - Dec 2021)
• Fasilitator and Human Relation, Primakara Developers (Oct 2019 - Jul 2022)
• Vice President of the Student English Club, Primakara University (Jan 2020 - Dec 2020)
• Volunteer, Relawan TIK Provinsi Bali (Jan 2020 - Present)
• Volunteer, Developer Circles from Facebook (Nov 2018 - 2020)