The technology and science behind AI are incredible, but so are the people involved in it. In 2020, we started the AI Heroes program to recognize individuals who are using AI to drive business, process, and technology innovation in their organizations. Every industry— healthcare, retail, education, finance, insurance, manufacturing, nonprofit—needs heroes to help drive change, collaborate, and champion the use of AI.

What It Takes to Become an AI Hero

The DataRobot AI Heroes program is seeking people with the following qualities:

Companies can become stuck in neutral, conducting business the same way every day because that’s how it’s always been done. But as the world is changing, competition and customers are changing, too. An AI Hero uses innovative thinking to move the business forward, to develop new products and services, improve processes, or fundamentally shift the company’s capabilities.

• Openness to new technologies

Having a PhD in data science or years of coding experience are great, but even people with limited backgrounds in machine learning can become AI Heroes. By demonstrating an openness to new technologies, AI heroes educate themselves and their colleagues and discover practical use cases. 

• Ability to be drive change, collaborate, and champion AI throughout the organization

Steve Jobs once said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” Teamwork is the great multiplier.  AI Heroes champion the use of AI throughout the organization and collaborate across lines of business to reduce bias, improve transparency, and ensure the correct data sources are considered. 

Meet DataRobot AI Heroes

Let’s meet some of the inspiring and talented individuals in the AI Heroes program:

Megan Oftedal

Senior Data Scientist, American Fidelity

Megan is driving AI democratization by improving accessibility to AI tools for citizen data scientists at her company.

Randy Olson

Chief Data Scientist, FOXO BioScience

Randy is helping to uncover mysteries about human biology to save lives and improve people’s health.

Brian Prestidge

Director of Insights and Decision Technology, City Football Group

Brian is helping football teams, including Manchester City FC, adopt data science and develop a culture that works together to win. 

For more information about the AI Heroes program, see  Heroes of the intelligence revolution or case studies like Harris Farms Markets Taps DataRobot for Demand Forecasting. You’ll also find video testimonies and more on our website.

Conclusion

We’re excited to support the journeys of our AI Heroes. We look forward to growing the ranks of the DataRobot AI Heroes program to include more data analysts, data scientists, data engineers, innovators, and leaders. 

If you’re interested in the program, contact us at aihero@datarobot.com  and tell us how you’re using AI.