Original Post: Linkedin, 12.18.24

Love it or hate it, AI is forcing industries to rethink work dynamics. While there is reason for great skepticism, I am a believer that if we harness AI correctly and build with diverse humans at the center, it can change our lives for the better.

I’ve had the honor of researching and building in this space – working at places like Walt Disney Imagineering, Meta, EF Education First, completing my PhD in Technology and Social Behavior, and had the opportunity to research with industry leaders and heroes of mine like Amy Edmondson and Liz Gerber (she/her) at the intersection of psychology and computer science.

Over the last few years since launching PairUp, I’ve had a front row seat into both the power and danger of AI. Here are three key learnings that are important to consider as we continue to fold AI into our daily workflows:

1. Let humans be human: Nothing can or ever will replace the power of people – we as humans hold unique wisdom, creativity, and insight. And yet there are a lot of tasks that we as humans are not as good at doing. One of my greatest hopes for AI is that it can be utilized to help us do the things that we are less good at so that people’s interactions can get center stage.
2. Use AI to find answers: I have been fascinated by the research showing that humans feel more comfortable asking ChatGPT or Siri for help over asking a human. While this is not ideal, we as humans can feel vulnerable and often don’t want to ask for help out of fear that we look less capable. AI has the power to make processes, like help-seeking, far easier and more psychologically safe. In turn, AI can actually help to bridge us together by both answering questions and also connecting us to the right people based on those needs.
3. Build AI with diverse voices at the table: We need diverse perspectives at the center when creating AI to ensure that we are building for all. We need a cross-disciplinary approach to building AI with psychologists, historians, educators, community leaders. Part of the early challenges with software (that had large societal ramifications) stemmed from the fact that most of the people building the technology were less focused on the human, and were more interested in the technology itself. We need to ensure that a variety of lived experiences are considered during this process to ensure that AI can support a wide range of needs.

The future of AI is both extremely hopeful and scary — with dangerous repercussions and unintended consequences if we don’t build with great care. I strongly believe that if we harness it correctly, we have the power to use AI to create a more connected and collaborative workforce and world. But we need to do so with diverse voices and perspectives at the table building AI to ensure that this is truly done with a human-centered mindset.

I am excited to be on this journey and to discover how we can harness AI for good. I feel grateful to be building alongside an amazing community of people who care deeply about humans and who also care deeply about technology. A big thanks to the many teammates, advisers, and collaborators who help make this work possible each day including: Andy Garvin, Taylor Epstein, Jonathan Geibel, Mmachi Obiorah, Brooke McEntee, John Franklin, Christopher Deutsch, Harvey Floyd II, Sarah Whitman, Orli Remez, Jennifer Reimert, CCP, Larry Begley, Adam Besvinick, Jean Kovacs, HearstLab, Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures, Graham & Walker, Hillsven, Honeystone Ventures, Lofty Ventures, Looking Glass Capital, The Garage at Northwestern University — and many more.

We are better together.

Onward to 2024!