AI with an Uzbek accent: the journey of Asad Usmonov from Surkhandarya to a U.S. startup

The journey of Asad Usmonov, currently serving as Lead Engineer at the U.S.-based AI startup Numeo, began in Surkhandarya, where he started programming at the age of 14—sparked by a YouTube interview with Akmal Kadyrov that left a lasting impression. Today, he is contributing to the development of voice AI technologies that are reshaping business process automation. IT Park Uzbekistan spoke with Asad about his sources of inspiration, the challenges he has faced, and his future plans.

In collaboration with The Tech, IT Park Uzbekistan will share success stories of Uzbek professionals who have achieved significant career milestones in international companies and startups.

Asad Usmonov, Surkhandarya, Lead Engineer at Numeo, LinkedIn

Entry into IT: motivation and first steps

My interest in programming was sparked unexpectedly after watching an interview with Akmal Kadirov. It made me realize: if he could build a career in IT, then I could do the same. My older sister supported my interest in mathematics, and my cousins encouraged me to learn English. Thanks to this foundation, I was able to take full advantage of free English-language online courses.

At the time, training centers in Surkhandarya were prohibitively expensive — around $80 per month, which was a considerable amount for my family. I therefore turned to free online resources and taught myself HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. To demonstrate my commitment to my family and myself, I took an unpaid position at a local company. After several months of working 12-hour days without weekends, I earned my first $100.

It was far from easy — due to my age, lack of experience, and the skepticism I faced. But this stage of my journey strengthened me. I learned not to wait for approval, but to take initiative.

Hackathon victory and first freelance projects

A key turning point was winning an IT Park hackathon in Surkhandarya. It gave me confidence and led to my first freelance opportunities via Fiverr. I built a portfolio, established a steady income, and began supporting my family without leaving my hometown.

Transition to AI and the choice of Voice Technology

At a certain point, I realized I wanted to work in a field that fundamentally changes how people interact with technology. That led me to Numeo.AI — a U.S. startup focused on developing next-generation voice agents.

At Numeo, leadership is not just a title — it is a responsibility grounded in five core principles:

1. Customer focus — prioritizing user experience
2. Responsibility — completing tasks thoroughly
3. Action-oriented — making swift decisions
4. Think big — aiming beyond local goals
5. Invent and simplify — improving and streamlining solutions

By adhering to these principles, I progressively took on more responsibilities and advanced to the position of Lead Engineer.

Voice is the most natural means of communication. At Numeo.AI, we are developing voice agents that can do more than respond to commands — they can execute complex sequences of actions. For example, a single voice command might initiate the process of locating a truck, verifying cargo, contacting the sender, and optimizing the route based on traffic data.

Challenges in developing Voice AI for the U.S. market

One of the greatest challenges is achieving natural, human-like speech. The key technical hurdles include:

• Generating speech that does not sound robotic, particularly in extended dialogues.
• Managing latency in phone networks, where even brief pauses disrupt the sense of live interaction.
• Mitigating audio quality degradation caused by compression over phone lines.

Nonetheless, recent advancements — such as the models introduced by Sesame — suggest that we are close to creating voice AI that is indistinguishable from human voices.

I firmly believe that within the next 5–10 years, voice AI will not only answer questions but anticipate needs and respond with emotional intelligence. It will learn to understand emotions and respond empathically, and that will change everything.

Mentorship and the importance of self-education

Although I have only completed secondary school, I continue to learn daily — through articles, videos, and open-source projects. I have benefited greatly from the mentorship of others at every stage of my career. I would especially like to acknowledge Bekhzod Kodirov, CTO of Numeo.AI, whose guidance has helped me overcome complex challenges and gain a broader perspective on our work.

Building a professional network

My professional circle developed gradually over time. Initially, it was just my older brother and me — we knew very little about IT, but we explored and learned together. With no one else around me involved in technology, I actively sought like-minded individuals — first through online communities, and later within the companies where I worked.

Today, my core environment consists of my team at Numeo. We work approximately 15 hours a day, six days a week, which has created a strong bond among us. I wake up, spend the entire day with my colleagues, and go to sleep — it feels less like a job and more like a professional family. I strive to surround myself with people who share a deep passion for technology and advancement in the field of artificial intelligence.  

Life outside of IT

I have limited interaction with individuals outside the IT sphere — aside from my family, nearly all of my communication is with those working in technology. My life is deeply embedded in an environment of developers, engineers, and tech enthusiasts. Whether it involves work, education, or everyday conversations, nearly everything revolves around the world of technology.

On networking events

Since joining Numeo, I rarely attend networking events unless they are particularly significant. This is largely because our daily operations already serve as an intensive learning experience.

Each team at Numeo has its own dedicated “call room”, where members remain connected throughout the day. It’s not casual conversation — we work with active screen sharing, enabling team members to observe how more experienced developers tackle tasks in real time. Whenever someone uncovers a new or valuable insight, it is promptly shared with the group. Should anyone encounter a challenge, there is always a colleague available to provide immediate assistance within the same session. This structure fosters a highly collaborative and dynamic learning environment.

Finding like-minded individuals in IT

The most effective way to find like-minded individuals in the IT field is to start with your workplace. Since you spend most of your time with your team, selecting the right company is of critical importance. It is essential that the corporate culture promotes continuous learning, collaboration, and personal growth — being surrounded by the right individuals can significantly accelerate your professional development.

In addition to your workplace, online communities and forums are invaluable. For example, while improving our voice assistant at Numeo, I participated in the LiveKit Slack community — sharing ideas, asking questions, and even assisting another developer who needed support. Later, we noticed that the quality of their voice assistant significantly outperformed ours, so we reached out for guidance — and they helped us. This interaction led to further collaboration on integrating voice assistants with phone systems, ultimately resulting in a strong and lasting partnership. Such relationships often begin with simple engagement, a willingness to offer support, and a genuine sense of curiosity.   

Free time

At present, I have almost no free time. At Numeo, we typically work approximately 15 hours a day, six days a week, which means that nearly all of my time is devoted to the work we are building. On the seventh day, our team adheres to a standing principle — to read a book — which can only be skipped for a compelling reason. During our Monday morning stand-up meetings, each team member shares key takeaways from their reading.

Nonetheless, it is not feasible to work continuously without pause. In order to prevent burnout, I make a point of taking long walks when I need to clear my mind. This practice allows me to fully disconnect and reset. A single walk can often recharge me with enough energy for another three to four days of intensive work.  

Future plans

In the coming years, I aspire to launch my own startup focused on AI-driven automation and agentic workflows. I am convinced that voice technologies and artificial intelligence will play a central role in transforming business processes worldwide — and I intend to be at the forefront of that transformation.

Advice for aspiring developers

1. Write more code — practice is the key to mastery.
2. Learn English — it grants access to the best resources and communities.
3. Be persistent — consistency is more important than speed.
4. Work on real projects — while tutorials are helpful, without practical application they remain theoretical. 
5. Network — engage with others, seek mentors. LinkedIn and GitHub should be your go-to platforms.

Above all, do not wait for opportunities to come to you — create them yourself.

Asad Usmonov’s journey serves as an example of how self-education, determination, and a genuine passion for technology can open doors to the global stage. Stories like his will undoubtedly inspire more young people from Uzbekistan to believe in their potential and build a future together with the global AI community.