Dr. Ayesha Khanna is Using Technology as a Force for Good
Chairman Leong | March 2023 | a+ Magazine
Dr. Ayesha Khanna went to college determined to save the world. After having volunteered to promote human rights in Pakistan, particularly for women in rural villages and prisons, enrolling at Harvard University to study development economics seemed a natural step.
So how did a humanities graduate become one of South-east Asia’s foremost experts on artificial intelligence?
The co-founder and CEO of global AI solutions firm Addo admits she once held a skewed view of technology, engineering, and the sciences, deeming them pursuits that were inherently uncreative. But that view was turned on its head during her time at Harvard.
“I met all these people who thought of STEM as extremely creative. They would talk about poetry and Borges and Dostoyevsky in one breath, and then about number theory and stochastic processes and C++ programming in the next,” she recalls. “I realised they were all about finding approximations to the truth through experimenting and tinkering. Once I could connect the dots between the humanities and social sciences, and engineering and technology, it was a straightforward decision for me.”
So she worked as a tech consultant on Wall Street, using data to predict trade and stock prices since the financial industry was one of the earliest adopters of data analytics. Eventually, Dr Khanna decided to apply this technology to cities, earning a PhD from the London School of Economics with a thesis aiming to transform Berlin into a smart city.
At this point, she had two children and had to decide whether to return to New York or start over elsewhere.
Her husband, geopolitical specialist Parag Khanna, with whom she co-authored Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization and U + AI, advocated for Singapore.
It has been almost 11 years since she launched Addo, started her charity 21st Century Girls, which offers free coding and AI classes to girls, and became a Singapore citizen. “Thanks to Singapore and its emphasis on tech and safety, my career is resurging.”
“Even though I have a PhD and a background in data science, people assume I do not know the subject, which I find offensive on many levels.”
Dr Ayesha Khanna on the doubts she faces in spite of her credentials
While Dr Khanna is a Singaporean citizen now, she is first and foremost a data native. “Tell us about a company, a building, or a process, and our first step is to translate it into data. perception is to translate what’s in front of us into data. As elite, niche specialists,elite, our only focus is data science and AI that can be applied to everything from logistics and healthcare to insurance and government agencies.”
Some of her clients include SMRT, SingTel, Japanese insurance company SOMPO, and Pakistani bank Habib Bank. AI and data can be more than just fodder for science fiction movies and panicked headlines, as Addo’s work with Mercy, one of the largest healthcare providers in the US, demonstrates.
By building a platform, the company made Mercy’s data more accessible and useful. Based on past blood work, angiograms, CT scans, interactions with wearables, and general population trends, some of these algorithms could, for instance, predict if someone will develop heart disease or not. Preventative healthcare results in better outcomes and lower healthcare costs.
Everyone wins.
Dr. Khanna adds, “The young generation has no tolerance for companies that are not authentically customer-centric.” She supports that attitude since it means the company will be more accountable to their customers. “A lack of sustainability, innovation, and better service will result in the loss of market share. Data gives you an unbeatable edge, which is why there’s such a push to use more of it. Honestly, if you don’t do it, you’re going to be left way behind.”
This generation is also on the cusp of a whole new reality with the metaverse, a game-like environment Dr Khanna strongly believes in. “There are 3.12 billion gamers worldwide. I find that statistic shocking. That’s almost half of the world’s population. In thinking of the metaverse, many of us assume we need big, clunky hardware and everything should appear in 3D as in movies. However, in practice, the trend is slowly moving towards a hybrid reality.”
Dr. Khanna is referring to how people move between physical and digital spaces daily, whether socialising or acting as economic agents. A company must follow its customers into the metaverse if it wants to stay on the customer journey. “If we play our cards right, it could lead to more diversity and inclusivity by allowing people to experiment with different versions of themselves. But if we’re not careful, we could have issues of manipulation and abuse,” she observes.
“We don’t know what it’s going to lead to, but we’re not as dumb as before, and we underestimate our governments. I believe there are smart people among them who are thinking about it and asking the tough questions because they are tech-savvy.”
The same is true for Web3. “This generation feels like the last one did not serve them well, whether it’s the planet or the economy that’s been handed over, and Web3 comes from these frustrations. However, like the metaverse, blockchain technology needs more capacity and scalability, which will happen over time.”
She speaks with confidence and authority, explaining concepts clearly without sounding condescending. She developed this skill due to infuriatingly frequent questions about her expertise. Despite her years of specialisation, many people made assumptions because of her gender.
“Even though I have a PhD and a background in data science, people assume I do not know the subject, which I find offensive on many levels,” Dr Khanna says, frustrated.
Her response is unparalleled. “My reaction to this is to raise my hand and explain what I know in a jargon-free way, while constantly upskilling myself.”
Sadly, but not unexpectedly, self-assurance has not always been welcomed with awe. A male coworker pointed out her directness to her in New York, she recalls. “I wasn’t sure what to think. Did I not act emotionally intelligently? Does it not conform to cultural norms? Or was this person just plain wrong?”
She advises self-reflection, even though it was ultimately his issue and not hers. “It’s not possible for you to be so woke all the time, because sometimes they’re right. I have to decide for myself. And when women decide for themselves, they are in their power, and they have agency.”
Despite her busy schedule, Dr. Khanna sleeps a solid eight hours a day, thanks to breathing exercises, meditation, ice baths, and delegating wherever possible. Aside from expanding Addo into the Middle East and US, she hopes to enter the biotech sector within five to six years.
“My goal is to use artificial intelligence to help people live longer, healthier lives. I don’t know anything about it yet, but that hasn’t stopped me before.”
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