AI honcho Dr Ayesha Khanna on how tech has changed her mindset

The co-founder and CEO of artificial intelligence solutions firm Addo shares life lessons from her illustrious tech career.

Dr Ayesha Khanna is passionate about the innovative and responsible use of all things data — AI, Web3, the Metaverse — and about empowering girls and women in tech.

She’s the co-founder and CEO of Addo, an AI solutions firm, and 21st Century Girls, a charity that teaches girls and women about coding and AI. Not to mention, she’s also authored and co-authored tech books.

But Dr. Khanna’s repertoire doesn’t end here. She’s lived in six cities across three continents, from working on Wall Street to acting as an Editorial Director with The Economist and serving on global advisory boards.

And not to forget her illustrious educational background — Dr. Khanna has a Bachelor’s in Economics from Harvard, a Master’s in Operations Research from Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the London School of Economics.

With all this, it’s safe to say that Dr. Ayesha Khanna is a techie at heart, well-versed in AI, Web3, the Metaverse, coding, and more. But she hasn’t just gained knowledge, and tech has changed her outlook on life.

“What you learn in tech doesn’t just make you a technologist, a data scientist, or a roboticist — it is a mindset. And what technology does is actually very creative. It teaches you four very important things,” she shares. Ahead, the AI entrepreneur and mother-of-two talks about the ways tech has changed her mindset.

Solve problems creatively

Number one, you learn to be a creative problem solver. In tech, there’s usually no easy answer. So, you’ll have to change your mindset to solve difficult and interesting problems. Look at it in a different way, or change your perspective.

Failure is okay

Number two, tech makes you realize that it’s okay to fail because you’re constantly failing in tech. Perhaps your code isn’t working, or you tested a theory and it didn’t work out the way you wanted. So, you become comfortable with it.

People often ask me about failure, and it really is just not a big deal to me. I would also say the same for any techie because all day, we’re trying new things and failing. I founded startups that didn’t work, I created products that didn’t work. What’s the big deal?

Teamwork is important

And number three, it teaches you the importance of teams and not being a lone superstar. Whether it’s a technology project, research project, entrepreneurial project, or even a regular project, they always involve an A-team.

Someone’s good at the back end, while someone else excels at the front end. And while one’s good at data engineering, another’s good at data science. To make everything come together, each person brings their complementary skills to the table, which is awesome!

Skills matter most

The fourth thing is, since tech is so skills-based, it makes you focus on people and what they bring to the table, as opposed to their connections or status in life.

It’s a lot of creative problem-solving, so if it’s team-based and you can’t do it, then you can’t be on that team. It doesn’t matter if your father is a well-known business tycoon, whether you drive a Mercedes, a Porsche, or a bicycle. When you walk in that door, you prove your mantle through your skill, not your background.

At the end of the day...

As a techie, we are all equal, and the only thing that makes us stand out is our ability to work well together and bring our skills to the fore. I think these four things transform a person’s mindset over time.

They allow you to be that much more successful and collaborative and just have a more meaningful and fun life. So, that’s why I think tech is so much more than what we learn, and it’s a mindset change.

This article was first published in The Peak Magazine.