Tell me about your AI journey so far

After completing B.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering, I started my career as an AI Engineer focusing mainly on NLP and some work in Image Processing as well. Currently I’m working as an NLP Data Scientist, where we build Conversational AI chatbots for our clients. Having completed 2 years in this field now, I have realised that there has been a continuous advance in technology and there is learning everyday. The growth has been such that we have never used the same model for more than a few months and that’s what I love the most about AI and NLP.

What made you interested in AI? Who would you say is your inspiration in this field?

I built an AI File Recommendation System as a part of my academic project in my 3rd year of B.Tech. The theory alone didn’t completely convince me what AI was capable of, but after I saw the results on my own, I knew this was what i needed to specialize in. My inspiration definitely is Alan Turing, the man who had told us long ago that there will be a day when machines will start talking to each other like humans.

What's your area of expertise in AI and why did you choose this?

As I mentioned earlier, I have focused mainly on Natural Language Processing (NLP) which has been my favourite since forever. I guess I love it because I found making a machine speak or understand human language more amusing and challenging than anything else.

What challenges have you faced in creating a niche for yourself in the field of tech?

In one of my previous work places, I observed that women were expected to be silent and just finish the work given to them, whereas someone who liked to pitch in their own ideas and brainstorm, were seen as “dominating” and were frowned upon and picked last while forming teams. Ultimately knowledge and passion towards AI as well as support from some of my great colleagues, got me the learning and experience which has helped my career a lot.

Do you think having more women in tech roles will help mitigate data bias?

Definitely. I have read that many studies have found that there have been higher failure rates in for example, recognising female voice over male’s, identifying female faces, etc. In fact it’s not just confined to gender, but every demographic should be considered to have varied perspectives while creating datasets.

What do you think are the biggest limiting factors for women not to advance their careers in tech, esp product development? What can change?

I have observed that some believe that men can be more committed towards work than women. I had once overheard a conversation where a recruiter said, “we can’t hire girls for this role, since we have had instances where we have meetings at mid nights when there are issues”. I believe that it’s just a myth, since I myself have worked all night when needed. Now that work from home has proven to be more effective, there shouldn’t be a fear that women need to stay at work till late night.

How do you think startups are moving the needle in terms of supporting more women to participate in tech building/development?

Unlike bigger companies where there will be a lot of bureaucracy and politics, in the startup world only outcomes matter and nothing else. Demographics of team such as gender, race etc are secondary in startups and that is what is most heartening when I find myself part of an equal opportunity team at AskSId AI where every member is just focused on just the end outcome. When I joined this company, I was the only female member and now women constitute 33% of all Sidlings already. I am confident that things will only improve from here on at an industry level.

What's the one thing that you see AI transforming completely?

From someone in the field of NLP, I believe that the consumer support system and market research will be completely overtaken by machines in coming years.

Your biggest AI nightmare?

A machine disguised as me.

What's your advice for other women who want a journey similar to yours?

Don’t shy away from putting your views on the table or from leading a group of people.