Aleksandra Kjemhus, Co-founder & CEO of Black Door Technology – Interview Series | By The Digital Insider

Aleksandra, Co-founder & CEO of Black Door Technology, is an AI enthusiast, entrepreneur, and the founder of the company. With a strong interest in the future of artificial intelligence and its impact on businesses and various sectors of society, she is committed to influencing the development of AI. Her goal is to inspire others to embrace innovative solutions, contribute to a sustainable future, and drive positive change.

What inspired you to co-found Black Door Technology, and how did your experiences and vision shape the company's mission and approach to AI?

The intersection between technology, leadership, and business is the key to success, yet I noticed huge gaps and a lack of understanding in how these areas connect. Innovation is much more than just technology; it’s just as much about human adoption. This realization drove me to co-found Black Door Technology.

As humans, we naturally want to protect what already exists. Every CEO aims to safeguard the business they run, but the exceptional ones are curious about external environments and trends. They scout for ways to disrupt the industry they are in. Those are my customers. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with these visionary founders and CEOs, which shaped my vision for Black Door Technology: to help shape our future with technology and business model innovation.

Black Door Technology is your boutique AI strategy firm, challenging executives to consider more potential futures for their businesses. While computer vision and audio technologies have already made significant strides, the ability to reason and generate creative content was the missing link. With the release of diffusion models in September 2022 and ChatGPT in November 2022, the technological advancements I had been waiting for finally arrived. These developments marked the entrance of Large Language Models and generative AI, the final puzzle pieces showcasing how AI's initial capabilities are opening an endless pool of possibilities.

How can professional leaders enhance their business outcomes by adopting the role of a “Director” of AI

Adopting the role of a “Director” of AI requires leaders to recognize AI as a general-purpose technology with broad potential applications. For a company to truly leverage AI, it's essential to begin experimenting and innovating with this technology across the organization. The Director of AI must have full support from the Board and management team, ensuring that every individual—from frontline staff to executives—is engaged in the journey.

This role involves empowering leaders to drive innovation, encouraging them to invest in long-term strategies, and fostering a psychologically safe environment where creativity can flourish. This creativity fuels disruptive innovation, a long-term mission requiring a clear understanding of the “why” behind it. Leadership styles that foster such environments focus on employee satisfaction, sustainable progress, and responsibility, alongside financial metrics like profit and stock price. The Director of AI must collaborate across the organization, with significant financial backing to support education, innovation, and development efforts.

What are some key strategies for leaders to maximize AI’s potential across different industries?

AI isn't just a tool; it's a catalyst for transforming industries and reshaping the future. To harness its full potential, leaders must embrace AI as a strategic enhancer, not a quick fix. Start by cultivating a culture of curiosity and innovation within your organization. Appoint a Director of AI who has the full backing of the Board and management team, empowering them to drive AI initiatives and foster an environment where every employee, from the ground up, is engaged and motivated.

Success in AI innovation requires significant investment in cloud infrastructure, data management, and strategic partnerships. It's about building the right technological foundation and aligning it with a visionary mindset. Think about where you want your industry to be in a decade and work backward to identify the steps needed today. Embrace Nordic leadership principles that emphasize trust and collaboration to create a resilient, innovative culture. By doing so, you'll position your company to thrive in an AI-driven future, turning potential into performance and ideas into industry-shaping innovations.

What are the most critical capabilities and limitations of AI that leaders should be aware of?

AI is a general-purpose technology with broad capabilities, but it won't become an expert in your industry without targeted training. Just as humans rely on sight, sound, and speech to gather and process information, AI can now see through computer vision, listen and speak via voice models, and read and reason using natural language processing. These capabilities allow it to mimic human sensory functions, yet it still lacks the depth and intuitive reasoning we possess.

The key limitation of AI is its dependency on high-quality data. Unlike humans, who naturally integrate information from multiple senses, AI's effectiveness hinges on the data it receives. For example, autonomous vehicles use cameras to gather visual data, which then informs their driving algorithms. Leaders must recognize that AI's power lies in enhancing human capabilities, not replacing them. By understanding its strengths and limitations, you can leverage AI to drive innovation and add value in your industry.

How can understanding these aspects of AI fundamentally improve collaboration between humans and AI in the workplace?

To fundamentally improve collaboration between humans and AI in the workplace, it's essential to shift our perspective from fearing replacement to embracing enhancement. AI, when guided effectively, can significantly augment the capabilities of our professional workforce. It needs to be viewed as a tool that requires direction, similar to how we would mentor a new team member. This shift requires leaders to leverage their domain expertise to guide employees on how to lead their work with AI, ensuring it uses the correct data and frameworks to enhance analytical accuracy and efficiency.

Consider, for example, a financial analyst who typically relies on a broad array of sources and analytical frameworks to craft a comprehensive analysis. While AI can automate many of these tasks, the analyst’s role evolves into defining the strategy, setting objectives, and leading the AI through the process. By focusing on vision, strategy, and communication, professionals can maximize AI's potential to produce higher-quality outputs. Thus, successful human-AI collaboration hinges on strong leadership, clear communication, and a willingness to adapt to a new way of working. This mindset shift—moving from manual execution to strategic direction and oversight—empowers individuals to achieve more, fostering a future where AI enhances human performance rather than replaces it.

Can you share insights on Switzerland's AI adoption ecosystem and how it compares globally?

Switzerland's AI ecosystem is distinguished globally by its brilliant educational institutions and a profound pool of talent ready to work on it. Its world-class universities and research centers are pivotal in driving the AI frontier forward, supported by an extensive network of industry professionals and technological experts.

What sets Switzerland apart even further is its business-friendly regulatory framework. Like the stable environments companies strive to create for their employees, the country’s regulatory conditions provide a predictable and encouraging backdrop that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. This consistent and supportive regulatory climate reduces bureaucratic hurdles, making Switzerland an immensely attractive destination for startups and established businesses. This stability is instrumental in drawing global investors and top-tier technology firms, contributing to Switzerland’s position as a leading hub for AI development and funding.

How do you envision AI reshaping different industries in the next decade?

We are at a pivotal moment where AI stands to fundamentally transform industries. The strategic decisions we make today will shape how industries evolve over the next decade. As this sort of technology is still in its early stages with certain limitations, there are numerous paths to explore that will lead to industry disruption. The key is to have a clear strategic vision that guides decisions and anticipates the consequences of different strategic directions.

Experts often say, “AI will never be worse than it is today,” highlighting the rapid improvement of models and tools across sectors like marketing, finance, and operations. This prompts us to ask: how do we want our lives and industries to look in a decade? I envision AI elevating many manual tasks, providing more time for creativity and innovation. AI should transform, not replace, jobs, fostering a human-AI empowered world. However, achieving this vision requires commitment from leadership to embrace innovation, which may clash with traditional profit-maximizing strategies focused on short-term gains.

What are some of the most promising AI-driven innovations you have seen recently?

An interesting AI innovation from Switzerland is with Ricardo, a marketplace where consumers can buy and sell things, exemplifying customer-centric AI. Their product and tech teams have successfully collaborated to deliver services which solve customer problems in a new way. The innovation is a camera feature that bridges the real and digital worlds embracing the trend of an “omnichannel”. Users can snap a picture of an item they want to buy in the real world, and a similarity search on their platform finds sellers offering similar secondhand items. This seamless integration of AI enhances the shopping experience and demonstrates the power of collaboration between customers, business, and technology teams.

What should companies consider when developing a robust AI strategy?

When crafting a robust AI strategy, companies should begin by understanding their unique strengths and how these can be leveraged in an AI-enhanced environment. Identify the capabilities that give you a competitive edge and build strategies to amplify them. It's essential to have a clear vision for your industry—how do you want to shape its future?

Recognizing AI's capabilities and limitations is crucial for aligning them with your strategic goals and setting realistic roadmaps. Equally important is fostering an innovation culture; as one CEO I once worked with wisely said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Without a supportive environment, even the best strategies fail. Encourage a psychologically safe space where creativity thrives and failure is seen as a learning opportunity.

Leadership and communication play vital roles in executing an AI strategy. A strategy that stays confined to the boardroom is destined to stagnate. Involve everyone, from executives to frontline employees, ensuring continuous engagement and alignment with the vision. Lastly, embrace agile strategy practices. Regularly review progress and adjust plans as needed, keeping everyone informed and invested.

A robust AI strategy is not only about technology; it's also about human adoption.

How can organizations leverage AI for competitive advantage and innovation?

Leverage your unique expertise, people and data to develop AI within your ecosystem. Consider two strategic paths: disrupt your products and services with AI, and empower your organization with it. Imagine the possibilities of streamlining operations and fostering creativity with AI. Black Door Technology is an organization that can provide guidance when beginning to utilize technology to foster innovation.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Black Door Technology.

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Published on The Digital Insider at https://is.gd/Gru0Dz.