(US & Canada) VIDEO | Diverse Voices Lead to Better Solutions — Cervello VP, Analytics Practice Leader

Sandy Estrada, VP, Analytics Practice Leader at Cervello (a Kearney Company), speaks with Asha Saxena, Founder and CEO of WLDA.tech, in the CDO Magazine Women's History Month Series of video interviews, about championing women, building strategies with diverse perspectives, on responsible AI usage, addressing challenges, and AI tools as productivity drivers.

The Women’s History Month creates an opportunity to give voice to the voiceless female doers of the past, says Estrada. Referring to the movie, ‘Hidden Figures,’ wherein Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson’s contribution to NASA was shown proving the need for women in the forefront.

Adding on, Estrada stresses the importance of cheering for each other as women and finding and cheering the allies who continue to assist and educate along the way.

Shedding light on the challenges while building strategy with business users, she mentions that focusing on the right issue and solving the right problem is a challenge. To address this, Estrada invites different perspectives into the conversation before getting to the client.

Estrada believes that having a diverse group of voices in the room, whether men or women, can lead to a better solution. Sharing an example, she mentions that while packaging a product and describing it, one has to bear in mind that 50% of the customers are female. Therefore, the individuals addressing the challenge should also be 50% female as they will have a relatable perspective for women.

Adding on, Estrada states that it is not just a marketing issue, rather it is about solving the right problems for consumers. She adds that strategic value comes from having the right people to have a conversation and knowing how to solve the problem.

Speaking about the best practices around responsible AI usage, Estrada says that at the end of the day, AI is driven by data. She maintains that it not only involves looking for bias in the data set but also the ownership and source.

Elaborating further, Estrada states that even after releasing an AI model, the output could be inherently biased based on who accesses that model and information. For instance, she notes that if men use ChatGPT much more than women, the feedback received by the system will be biased in itself.

To resolve this, it is crucial to diversify the access and the audience, including minorities who are not in IT. She adds that the data being fed to the system reinforces learning, therefore, the decision-makers on the reinforced learning end must be assessed.

When asked about upskilling or reskilling with AI, Estrada states that compared to the yesteryears, skilling up is relatively easy now. She refers to leveraging Python libraries to build the fundamental knowledge base.

Efficiency is accelerated with the evolving tool sets and Estrada does not consider it as reskilling, but upskilling and gaining efficiency across the board. She asserts that leveraging technology enhances the productivity of individuals by leveraging AI and automating repetitive tasks that bring little to no added value.

This maximizes the overall organizational value, says Estrada. For people performing repetitive tasks, she reiterates that the value lies in understanding where to look, how to address things, and how to analyze them.

Moving forward, Estrada implores people to embrace AI tools. In this era, she continues, AI will explain itself to the user, and it is readily accessible. She further states that there is a massive opportunity for small businesses and startups that have an AI strategy.

Circling back, Estrada dedicates this women’s history month to her mother, applauding her for being the best teacher and guiding light. She also shares her appreciation about being a part of WLDA, and knowing amazing women, one of whom she mentions is Laura Grace Ellis from Rapid Seven. Recounting their wildly unique conversations, Estrada acknowledges being able to learn from one another.

CDO Magazine appreciates Sandy Estrada for sharing her valuable insights with our global community.