Co-Founder & CEO, ADDO AI & Global Tech Leader
Ayesha Khanna: Biography at a Glance
- Dr. Ayesha Khanna is the Co-Founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) solutions firm and incubator that has been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the leading AI companies in Asia.
- Ayesha is also the author of two technology books, including a TED book on the impact of technology on society and U+AI on making AI work for humanity.
- She was named one of South East Asia's groundbreaking female entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine.
- Dr. Khanna is a sought-after keynote speaker and strategic advisor for the world's largest global companies, governments, and industry associations on artificial intelligence, smart cities, and the future.
Biography
Dr. Ayesha Khanna is Co-Founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) solutions firm and incubator that has been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the leading AI companies in Asia. Ayesha has been a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence, smart cities, and fintech to leading corporations and governments. She was named one of South East Asia's groundbreaking female entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine in 2018 and is also the author of two technology books, including a TED book on the impact of technology on society and U+AI on making artificial intelligence (AI) work for humanity.
With years of boots-on-the-ground experience in AI and technology, Ayesha has witnessed firsthand how technological innovation transforms industries and effects every level of an organization. Today, she is on a mission to educate and consult organizations and leaders in all sectors. With her human-first approach, Ayesha demystifies the common misconceptions of artificial technology and generative AI, its future implications across all sectors and levels, and how you can prepare. For engagements, Ayesha works collaboratively with her clients, tailoring her content and event packages to bring your organization value that will go beyond the day of the event. Additionally, she is also available for remote presentations.
Ayesha co-founded ADDO AI Education, an enterprise training leader that upskills corporate employees and students in data science, data engineering, and applied machine learning with curricula designed by leading academics and experienced industry professionals. Ayesha is also the Founder of 21C GIRLS, a charity that delivers free coding and artificial intelligence classes to girls in Singapore. Programs that 21C Girls has partnered in include Code in the Community, a program sponsored by Google and that has taught thousands of children coding, and Empower, which has partnered with Ngee Ann Polytechnic to teach young adults the basics of artificial intelligence.
Ayesha serves on the Board of Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Singapore government's agency that develops and regulates its world-class technology sector to drive Singapore's digital economy and power its Smart Nation vision. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Councils, a community of international experts who provide thought leadership on the impact and governance of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Her clients have included SMRT, Singapore's largest public transport company; Singtel, Singapore's largest telco; SOMPO, Japan's largest insurance firm; Habib Bank, Pakistan's largest bank; and Smart Dubai, the government agency tasked to transform Dubai into a leading smart city.
Before founding ADDO AI, Ayesha spent more than a decade on Wall Street, developing large scale trading, risk management, and data analytics systems. Ayesha was the co-founder of the Hybrid Reality Institute, a research and advisory group established to analyze the social and economic impact of accelerating technologies. In 2014, Ayesha served as a member of the Ministry of Education, Singapore, steering committee resulting in SkillsFuture, Singapore's innovative national program that aligns education with economic demand, career guidance, and lifelong learning to prepare citizens for the fourth industrial revolution.
Ayesha has been recognized as an international force. She was featured in ZDF's (Germany's largest TV channel) documentary on twelve "Leading Women" around the world (2019) and has been named one of Singapore's leading female entrepreneurs and a leading Asian fintech influencer by Fintech Asia. She has been profiled multiple times for her work in AI by Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Switzerland), Focus Magazin (Germany), Corriere della Sera (Italy), Information Age (Nordics), Peak (Cover Story, Singapore), and In The Black (Cover Story, Australia). Additionally, she has been published and quoted on technology, innovation, and smart cities by the New York Times, BusinessWeek, TIME, Newsweek, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and Foreign Policy. She has presented at major financial, technology, and other industry conferences, provided high-level government briefings, chaired symposiums such as AI Asia, and spoken at TEDx events.
Ayesha has a BA (honors) in Economics from Harvard University, an MS in Operations Research from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems and Innovation from the London School of Economics.
Topics
Winning with AI: How to Embrace Innovation to Drive Growth
Artificial intelligence has been called one of the most powerful technologies of our time. However, what is the reality behind the hype? With some of the world’s most recognized companies as her clients, Dr. Khanna provides insights into how innovative firms embrace data and machine learning to leapfrog competitors and win new customers. She also provides recommendations for accelerating your AI journey and using AI responsibly to engender trust amongst consumers and investors.
The Future of Work: How to Amplify Human Potential in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Generative AI, robotics, additive manufacturing, AR/VR, quantum computing, and gene editing are among the revolutionary technologies disrupting every industry in the world. What do they mean for the future of work and jobs? Dr. Khanna takes audiences on a journey through the main forces that will reshape the corporate world and labor markets, emphasizing how each sector can leverage these breakthroughs to make workers more productive, innovative, and empathetic. This process of human-technology co-evolution will forever change how we view the global economy and our role in it.
Smart Cities: The Future of How We’ll Work, Live and Play
New technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things, and robotics can offer urban businesses and citizens high-quality, productive, and sustainable lifestyles. The critical shift is from centralized, top-down models to an ecosystem approach that includes corporate and civic stakeholders and leverages data and AI. With a Ph.D. in information systems focused on smart cities, Dr. Khanna delivers a comprehensive assessment of Smart City 2.0 best practices supported by a rich suite of illustrative case studies.
Top Tech Trends That Will Transform Your Industry
Technologies like Generative AI, edge computing, robotics, and human enhancement will significantly impact all industries in the coming 5-10 years. Using illuminating case studies, Dr. Khanna discusses how these accelerating technologies will disrupt business models and operations and open up new opportunities to lift your firm to new heights. With experience advising some of the world’s largest corporations on data-driven digital transformation and innovation, Dr. Khanna highlights the key technologies you must include in your strategic planning for the decade beyond.
U+AI
Artificial intelligence has infiltrated our workplace and cities, homes and personal relationships, and is massively disrupting our economies and politics. Dr. Ayesha Khanna, co-founder of one of Asia's leading AI solutions companies, turns the tables on the current conversation by putting human agency at the center of the AI debate. Rather than waiting for technological waves to drown us, she encourage each of us to ask: What can AI do for you? Ayesha portrays AI as a tool to amplify human potential, and take you on a journey in which AI boosts your productivity and inventiveness. Our irreversible co-evolution with AI will forever change how our societies function. It’s time we took the reins and shaped it for mankind's collective benefit.
