S1:Ep72 AI & the Future of Tech: Visionary Lessons in Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

In this powerful episode of Digital Transformation & AI for Humans, we dive into the Visionary Lessons in Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship with Sze Wong, a seasoned tech entrepreneur, inventor, and venture investor from Virginia, USA.

Prior to founding Zerion Software, he designed major mobile systems for industry leaders like Sun Microsystems, Nextel Communications, and Shell Oil. With 7 US patents in data and data security, Sze’s contributions have had a lasting impact on the tech industry.

Today, as a venture investor at Zenith Venture Studio, Sze leverages his extensive entrepreneurial experience to support and invest in emerging startups that are poised to transform their industries.

His unique blend of hands-on experience and innovative thinking enables him to mentor founders and drive the next generation of disruptive digital solutions.

Sze shares his hard-won wisdom on building a future-proof business, redefining success, and balancing growth with meaning in the age of AI and digital transformation.

🔑 In this episode we explore:

✔ What it really takes to invent future-defining solutions in the age of AI
✔ How to distinguish AI hype from long-term opportunity
✔ Why visionary leadership will determine which entrepreneurs thrive in the next decade
✔ The biggest emerging AI trends that will reshape business in the next 2–5 years
✔ How to build technology responsibly — and protect future generations
✔ One key piece of advice for every innovator and founder building in the AI era

Connect with Sze on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szeywong/

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Introduction
• 2:45 Zee's Journey into Computing
• 5:27 Innovation Mindset and Patents
• 10:11 Problem-Solving in Enterprise Solutions
• 15:12 When to Adopt Emerging Technologies
• 17:17 Learning from Business Failure
• 22:43 Visionary Leadership in Tech
• 28:38 Just-in-Time Software Revolution
• 31:17 Venture Studio Approach
• 35:16 AI's Future Implications
• 40:56 Advice for Future Innovators
• 45:04 Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello and welcome to Digital Transformation and AI for Humans with your host, amy. In this podcast, we'll delve into how technology intersects with leadership, innovation and, most importantly, the human spirit. Each episode features visionary leaders who understand that at the heart of success is the human touch nurturing a winning mindset, fostering emotional intelligence and building resilient teams. Let's talk about artificial intelligence and the future of tech. I'm happy to present my fantastic guest, Zee Wong from Virginia, the United States. Zee is here to share powerful, visionary lessons in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Speaker 1: 0:44

Zee is a seasoned entrepreneur, inventor, educator and venture investor. Prior to founding Xerion Software, he designed major mobile systems for industry leaders like Sun Microsystems, nextel Communications and Shell Oil. With seven US patents in data and data security, zee's contributions have had a lasting impact on the tech industry. Today, as a venture investor at Zenith Venture Studio, zee leverages his extensive entrepreneurial experience to support and invest in emerging startups that are poised to transform their industries. His unique blend of hands-on experience and innovative thinking enables him to mentor founders and drive the next generation of disruptive digital solutions. Welcome, zig, I'm thrilled to have you here in this studio and so excited to dive into your insights.

Speaker 2: 1:45

Thanks, Amy. Thanks for having me again.

Speaker 1: 1:48

Let's start the conversation and transform not just our technologies but our ways of thinking and leading. If you are interested in connecting or collaborating, you can find more information in the description. Subscribe and stay tuned for more episodes. I would also love to invite you to get your copy of ai leadership compass unlocking business growth and innovation the definitive guide for leaders and business owners to adapt and thrive in the age of ai and digital transformation. You can find the amazon link in the description below z. I'm so happy to have you here today, and this conversation is going to be enlightening and so valuable. I would love to hear a little bit more about yourself, about your journey, about your passions and everything that brought you into the space where you are navigating today.

Speaker 2: 2:45

Right. So I'll talk about how I get into computer. I got my first Apple II computer when I was in fifth grade and back then. Not a lot of people have computers. I was lucky enough to have a computer and start learning programming basic programming in the fifth grade, sixth grade, summer, and then I just fell in love and found my calling. I mean it was like I'm the tech guy in school, I'm the computer guy. I mean that created my identity. There was another identity I remember where everybody wrote down what they want to become when they grow up. So I remember one of this paper when I was in first grade is being an inventor.

Speaker 2: 3:33

I dream about inventing stuff. As a first grader I have no idea, I didn't know what I wanted to invent, but I do want to invent. I have no idea and I forgot about that for the longest time. And then in middle school, high school, I was the tech guy I developed. I have no idea and I forgot about that for the longest time. And then in middle school, high school, I was the tech guy, I developed, I learned and got into college. The funny thing is this I did not study computer science in the beginning. I got into college wanting to go into a double E electrical engineering, I believe. For some odd reason, I believe I'll be into chip design in hardware. But I took one semester of hardware and one semester of software and I failed enough with software and that's how I started doing all these software things for many decades after college.

Speaker 1: 4:21

Amazing and it's like if you knew from the beginning what you are going to do in life.

Speaker 2: 4:28

It's somebody like dangling something in front of me, so I just follow. That's called passion, maybe, probably.

Speaker 1: 4:37

But at the same time, it's amazing that it was one of your childhood dreams which came true. Oftentimes we forget about our dreams, but in your case, you both remember that it was one of your dreams and you turned it into reality, which is absolutely amazing.

Speaker 2: 5:01

I was lucky.

Speaker 1: 5:04

Yes, like in that quote, the more I work, the luckier I become. Right Right. How has holding seven US patents in data and security shaped the way you approach innovation, and what have you learned about the mindset required to invent something truly future-defining?

Speaker 2: 5:27

I think it's both chicken and egg. It's my desire to try new things that allow me to just keep learning, just keep trying, and eventually some of those ideas were patentable. Actually, if you ask me, none of those ideas are that groundbreaking To me. They're simple stuff. But like, the lawyer thinks differently, the team thinks differently. So well, we file and we got granted patents. And again the mindset comes first. The mindset is you want to try a new thing, you've got to be excited on new things Now we talked about in the last episode.

Speaker 2: 6:07

The world is moving so fast that it's scary. And being okay with being scared is that mindset. It's the innovation mindset. You've got to not know, you've got to not have all the answers. I remember in the early days of my career I was telling my manager he would ask how you plan to implement and I said I have no idea, but I know I'll get it done. I mean that kind of crazy as a young person, that kind of I wouldn't call it innovation, but a little bit of craziness, a little bit of like the new things.

Speaker 2: 6:41

I always love to learn. I'm older now but I still love to learn. I'd like to continue to learn until my brain breaks down, like until it becomes dust. I would love to continue to learn and that is the mindset you will have. It will always be scary. You always not know, always, always feel stupid actually, and that's important.

Speaker 2: 7:00

As people get older I look at people around me. They get less and less comfortable of being stupid. Now I use strong word, right, and if you're okay to be stupid, you learn faster. So, yeah, I'm okay. I don't always want to look dumb, but you got to be okay, especially when you're on your own right. Today you can ask AI and you can be very stupid in front of AI. Nobody will judge you. But then internally, you've got to not judge yourself. If you do, you will avoid learning and that is, I think, the mindset that will allow you to innovate, allow you to try, allows you to test out new things.

Speaker 2: 7:41

When we talk about patent, application or new innovation, every innovation looks stupid actually before they realize. Like self-driving cars. I mean even cars as well. Automobile was kind of like a crazy idea. I mean, if you think about in the early days, early 1900s, if you tell people you put a tank of gasoline in a thing that moves, like you're crazy that they could explode Like that will explode and it did right. But if you didn't allow it to explode for a few times, you wouldn't innovate, wouldn't learn. So yeah, having a great mindset you need.

Speaker 1: 8:22

I absolutely love it. It is important to be humble and it is also important to develop that self-awareness, self-confidence, in order to work with such important things. Creativity by its own is not enough. You have to have certain type of mindsets, certain personal traits coming as a package, because it is not always comfortable, it is not always easy and you are sharing something what others oftentimes couldn't even imagine, and then it puts you in a very special and uncomfortable position. In a very special and uncomfortable position.

Speaker 1: 9:10

I can refer to that because I've seen the life of an innovator, inventor, because my father was a famous scientist and innovator and I saw how it looks when he was also filing for those patents, for all those breakthroughs, those patterns, for all those breakthroughs. It wasn't always easy, but at the same time it's so meaningful, it is so exciting. So I can personally refer to that life journey and there is a lot of that in me as well. But from designing enterprise systems for Fortune 100 giants like Microsystems, nextel and Shell, to building a form builder, one of the first mobile apps recognized by Apple as an essential iPhone app for business and trusted by Fortune 500 companies for secure mobile data collection, what core principles or decision-making patterns have consistently guided your innovation journey.

Speaker 2: 10:11

Well, I think the core mindset is problem solving and it doesn't matter what problems you want to solve and, in particular, over the years I learned to solve boring problems, and boring in this case is enterprise. They're very boring. I mean it's like it's not. You don't solve an enterprise problem and go on to Wall Street. I mean, yeah, sometimes you do, but most of the time is the shiny things, the TikTok, the IG, those are what you see in news.

Speaker 2: 10:51

Enterprise applications are boring but nonetheless their problems, they affect people.

Speaker 2: 10:56

So I would say the mindset is to find problems around you and then solve them, solve them wholeheartedly. When you know that, like enterprise system, like when I you know first couple of jobs, I learned that some of those simple things like securing the database, making sure your program runs correctly, affects people, affects users and affects downstream public. So what I learned is well, you just think twice, do a good job, slow down, like I also talked about, you need to move fast and move slow at the same time. And that also comes from the problem solving problems mindset Find the problems you can solve and learn about yourself, like everybody's different. So I wouldn't say, like everybody need to do enterprise, solve enterprise problems. I just so happen to be surrounded by enterprise problems. But find your own problems, find things that excite you and solve problems, and I think that eventually guided me into solving more and more enterprise problems. Eventually saw the opportunity of the mobile era and apply those problem-solving skills and lucky enough to stumble upon this idea of mobile data collection, and then went headfirst into that.

Speaker 1: 12:33

That sounds truly interesting. And your recommendations. They make so much sense because it is important, both from the perspective of our personal development and from the perspective of our personal development and from the perspective of business development, where you are and how you are going to move forward as artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly. How do you personally evaluate when to adopt or invest in emerging technologies, and how do you separate trend chasing from true long-term opportunities?

Speaker 2: 13:08

Right.

Speaker 2: 13:10

The time is now. The time is always now. You got to learn, you got to move, not trying to be only talking about what's new, but as you learn about new, think about yourself. Think about what excites you. I talked about software development being in my blood somehow. So when I learned that AI can do software development, I got excited. I learned more right. When I learned that AI can, let's say, make movie, I mean I'm'm interested, but not the same level of excitement. So as you learn new things, figure out what interests you. You do not have to be on the cutting edge, on the bleeding edge on everything. You got to know what is important to you, so figure that out.

Speaker 2: 14:15

And secondly, about trend versus keeping like, a same mindset is to think about. There's something that will never change. So in my book I talk about in the Bible, there are seven scenes, seven deadly scenes. And in business I say you can utilize two of those seven scenes and not get in trouble. Some of those scenes are illegal to work on, but you can always sell pride.

Speaker 2: 14:39

Pride is a scene, so you can sell pride. And you can sell laziness, sloth laziness, so people are lazy. So when we talk about trend, right, we know we go in AI, we learn vibe coding, we know AI, lom, new things, new agents right, but how do you apply them? There are things that will never change. So, like laziness will never change. People will always be lazy. So figure out where, on which part, you will be less lazy than other people.

Speaker 2: 15:12

Now, I myself I'm very lazy, but I understand I cannot be lazy on everything. If I'm lazy on everything, then I don't have a business, I don't have a life, I don't have a, a career, right. So you have to figure out something. You decide you'll be less lazy than most people around you and that's business. Now, career and business is very similar. You have your value. So understand things. Some things will never change. People want pride, so you can sell pride, right. I even talk about the education system sells pride because they give you a certificate. That piece of paper means nothing, but that is pride. I mean I have a certificate, right. So when you think about how you can utilize the trend to solve problems, you can think about these things that will never change. Pride and laziness are two of those.

Speaker 1: 16:04

Very interesting approach and it is very deep and very helpful for many of us, because I also realized quite early that passion is the differentiator. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, if you are not good at it, you are never going to be in the top of those who are doing it, and then you are just going to compete until you die without being seen or reaching something outstanding. And if you want to really create the change, if you want to lead that stream or that area of competence, then you have to be passionate about it and you have to be good at what you are doing truly. And that's exactly what you are doing and it's commendable thank.

Speaker 1: 17:04

Z. Can you share a moment where something unexpected, a challenge, failure or pivot led to a breakthrough or shifted the direction of one of your ventures?

Speaker 2: 17:17

Yeah. So I'll talk about the training school that I had Around year 99, year 99 and 2000. So I started a training school. I was among the first who were certified on Java development, java Sun certified Java developer. I was among the first who can teach, who can certify other people. So I started a training school to train people and that was awesome. I mean I rented a tiny 500 square feet space to teach and in the first year every Saturday we had a information session where people can come in and learn that those sessions it's always packed. People will come. We will line up, we'll wait in the hallway, stand up room only. So I felt great, it's an amazing venture. I think I made it as a business owner.

Speaker 2: 18:10

Long story short is that before 2001, it collapsed and I've lost a lot of money. I've expended. I expended from one classroom to three classrooms. I hired a couple people and demand just dropped. Now I didn't understand the drop of demand At the time. I didn't understand that it was the macro. Environment collapsed. I didn't even know that. I was so focused on doing my own stuff. I didn't know the macro has collapsed.

Speaker 2: 18:39

So during the beginning of the collapse I thought I was just not working hard enough, so I worked harder. I created more classes. I put in more advertisement. I was like that must be because I didn't advertise enough, so I advertised more. I spent a lot of money on Google ad. I even took out a full page ad on a local newspaper. It was crazy. So at the end at some point I realized I don't have any more money to put in this thing. I packed up overnight and actually I was extremely close to file for bankruptcy. I went back to the landlord of the building and basically I asked for forgiveness, like letting me off the lease. If he did not release me off that multi-year lease, then I'll have to file for bankruptcy. Now I didn't have to thank you. Thanks for this wonderful landlord.

Speaker 2: 19:33

So there are two things that I want to point out in this episode, so to speak. One is that I never learned finance. I talk about building financial application, but I never learned about finance. I didn't know that money comes in, money goes out. They have their different timing and I lost money without realizing how deep a hole I was digging, and that basically forced me to look at cash flow much more deep in the upcoming ventures later. So that's what I learned.

Speaker 2: 20:07

At that time, when the training school failed, I actually told myself I just wasn't cut out for the business world and that's okay. At the time I was like that's fine, I mean, I wasn't cut out of the business world, I would just find a good job, I can work and that will be okay. I told myself that and I kind of believed in that at that time. But then one year later I got itchy again and started again. But what I want to point out is, even if you think you're not just listen to yourself a little bit deeper and try again, I did try again and things get better, because now I understand cash flow and it sounds simple. But I truly did not understand that In the next couple of ventures I do know that more and manage money a lot tighter, and that allows me to go further.

Speaker 1: 21:01

Thank you so much for sharing your story, because it is both dramatic and very impactful and I'm sure that it will be a great reminder for many of us because sometimes it is coming as a message at the right moment before one is hitting that very low rock hard bottom. Hitting that very low rock hard bottom which, for some, actually becomes exactly the point where they can touch with the feet and come up to the surface. And fortunately, this story is just a memory right now and some kind of experience now when we can discuss your multi-million dollar journey of entrepreneurship. But at the same time, I can imagine that it took you many years to recover from that and many successful individuals they are actually going through such moments, just not everybody sharing those stories. But I have another episode, many episodes actually, where people are sharing those stories on their way to true success. So I truly appreciate your way of telling us about your experiences.

Speaker 2: 22:28

No problem.

Speaker 1: 22:30

What does visionary leadership in tech mean to you today and what do you believe distinguishes the entrepreneurs who will shape the future from those who won't adapt?

Speaker 2: 22:43

Oh, it's how crazy you are. That's it If you're crazy enough, like one of Apple's slogan, right? So, like we have this Apple advertisement framed in our office and it talks about the innovator, the crazy people, people who change the world are the crazy ones. That is scary, right? So if the question is, who will change the world, who shapes the world or those crazy ones? Are you the crazy one? I don't know, but I will.

Speaker 2: 23:15

As with everything in my life right now, when I advise people, I want you to separate the two concepts. You need to be crazy to think long and far into the future. You want to change the world, you want to create water, you want to do whatever or create new battery technology. That's great, that's multi-year and then also plan for the next six weeks. So you need to have both in your head in such a world that you cannot lock yourself in the lab for two years and then come up with a new technology. You'll be left behind. You need a multi-year crazy vision or crazy thing that you eventually want to get to. But you may not ever get to, and that's okay. That is your long-term drive. But you also need to think about the next six weeks, what you do in the next six weeks is what you can plan, because in in today's world, it's extremely hard to plan for two years, three years, four years, plan for six weeks and plan for multi-year. Who will be able to innovate? Are those crazy ones?

Speaker 1: 24:28

I couldn't agree more, and it is so important to have those two perspectives in your mind in parallel at the same time and adjust accordingly, because some tend to focus on the long-term perspective and some tend to focus on tactics, without seeing the bigger picture, and both those approaches are not good enough without putting them together and merging them into a functioning strategy and being able to break it down into the concrete steps along the journey. So it is really important to have that type of approach and mindset. Z which trends in artificial intelligence, data architecture or automation do you believe will fundamentally reshape how we build businesses in the next two to five years, and which innovations are still flying under the radar, according to you?

Speaker 2: 25:37

Right, I think we talked about it in the last episode, but we'll unpack this a little bit more. I think the fact that AI is building software in unprecedented speed and it's improving in an extremely exponential manner is going to fundamentally change the world and, in particular, the software development world which I live in. Obviously, and in the last couple of decades, software eats the world, software ate the world, and now AI is going to eat software, because AI can now build software right. So the trend is basically software development cost goes down. When that happens, a few things would happen. One is that there may come at a point, which is what we call the vibe coding movement, where people with less technical ability can now build good software, and that is a new skill set. That doesn't mean anybody just talk to AI and then it builds. Now, at least not yet. For the foreseeable future, I will say one or two years it may get good enough that non-technical people can build software. That becomes a new skill, and so I advise people to learn to stay up to speed with the vibe coding tool to understand how to build new software using this new skill set. You will be among the earliest at the frontier of doing this. So that is the, I'll say, relatively short term in this development trending down movement, vibe coding being important Now if we expand a little bit longer.

Speaker 2: 27:21

Then I talked about this concept of just-in-time software and this could happen in a few different ways because of AI, like in logistics. The big innovation of the last couple of decades just-in-time inventory used to be you need a warehouse of material and parts to anticipate what you need to build and the process gets good enough when you need it, it arrives right. Just-in-time inventory Software may get to the point that we create the software just-in-time when you need it, when you want to order food, that food ordering system developed, created just for you. Now we're very far from that, but if we go on this trend, this may happen after vibe coding becomes very viable. And on the other side of this is the concept of a post-UI world, post-interface world, when software can be built on demand.

Speaker 2: 28:26

You may not even need to see it, you may not even need to click a button If the agent understands you enough. And now it's not you who interacts with the computer, which is why you need an interface. If it's the agent completely using the computer on your behalf, you just need to communicate with the agent as a human being and the agent will go interact with the computer. We may be getting into a world where we do not need user interface. Now, that doesn't mean there will be none interface. So what that means is what people are talking about Johnny Ive and Sam Aukman is working on is the next generation user interface. So what that means is what people are talking about Johnny Ive and Sam Aukman is working on is the next generation user interface, is the post-GUI world. Maybe in a few years we may not be primarily using our point and click and tapping and dragging and dropping system. So that is not a big trend that one should think about.

Speaker 1: 29:26

Interesting. Thank you for sharing your vision. It is truly when I'm thinking about that Kanban approach, and it was applied widely at Toyota, for example, and it created a completely revolutionary type of results. So, of course, when you apply the just-in-time approach to the software as a service is going to revolutionize the world you are living in. Once again, it is both exciting and a little bit scary to think how far it can go and transform our reality. So really interesting.

Speaker 1: 30:07

But I truly love the way you are thinking and seeing this part. And, of course, with UI, it is also quite natural that it was created for humans interacting with the machines. And when we are entering the space where it is about machines interacting with the machines, then of course the user interface is going to shift and transform into something different, more adapted to the needs of those participants. And in this case, now we're talking about agentic solutions, but we even don't know what's coming next, because agents are quite fresh on the market and the next step it might come and surprise us tomorrow or after tomorrow Exactly. It's also very interesting to see how it's going to unfold Through your work at Zenit Venture Studio. How do you spot, incubate and scale ideas that are not only technologically advanced, but also commercially meaningful.

Speaker 2: 31:28

Right. So we do two things. One is we find the people who can help innovate right. That's important. When we say we invest, we back, normally we're not backing an idea, we're backing a team of people who can innovate. And that goes back into are you learning, are you a fast learner, are you resourceful? I use that term quite a bit these days. So being resourceful means that you look around and you can use all the resources you have or limited resources you have and do something about it. That's important. That's important in today's world. That will actually important in any world today, in particular, because new resources come in every day. You got to learn and be very good at using new resources that come in your way. So that is one side of things. We back teams, we back individuals who are fast learner, who are resourceful.

Speaker 2: 32:25

On the other hand, we focus on user validation first. As engineers, we tend to build systems first. Right, we love building things, I love building things. But over the years I learned that, hey, if I just come up with something shiny and build that, a lot of time we build that and no one cares.

Speaker 2: 32:45

And so at Zenith Venture Studio, what we do, we do user validation first and we will not start development until we're sure that somebody is willing to pay for it. That may sound a little bit crazy, but in today's world it's actually quite easy to do, or actually I should say much easier to do than in the past, because within a week, within actually a couple of days, we can use vibe coding to come up with something that is almost ready to go, or at least very easy to articulate the vision, much easier than even last year. So in today's world we're able to validate the idea, go through user validation, user interview, way ahead of actually putting out in the market. So we hope that we can do this at a very fast manner and to create new idea and put it out to the market.

Speaker 1: 33:40

I really love this because this way of reverse engineering the demand into your solutions, it is both safeguarding you from developing something that is not going to land right on the market and, at the same time, it allows you to understand your potential customers better from the very beginning and develop your solutions which are going to truly meet their expectations, their needs and solve their problems. So it is really good in so many ways, and that's why you are creating those success stories, because you are anchoring the demand picture with the solutions provided and developed, instead of just developing something in an innovative way first and then seeing how to apply that. So that is a very wise approach and speaking about wisdom, which I appreciate you a lot for. The next question is a little bit special. As artificial intelligence development accelerates, what dangers do you see for humanity if technology is built without deep responsibility for its future outcomes, and how should innovators be thinking differently today to protect the generations to come?

Speaker 2: 35:16

I think it's very similar to what I just said. As part of the industry participant, I would like to encourage all of us to think far into the future, right? Not just vibe coding, but once vibe coding is viable, what does the world look like? We talk about synthetic data. We talk about agents, talking to agents. All of those things require us to dream about, require us to actually go through a longer trajectory, go see past what's happened and what was available today.

Speaker 2: 35:48

Right, for example, we talk about self-driving cars. So when cars are self-driving, in the world where most car drive on their own, we actually do not need parking spots. We do not need parking garages because the cars go away. They drop us off and go away. They don't need to park, they continue to park or they can go park somewhere far, far away. So a lot of parking spots locally can be opened up again. Now, that requires projection, long-term projection, and same thing with the AI world today.

Speaker 2: 36:23

That's why I talk about Poe's gooey world and just-in-time software and also just-in-time movie. That's also coming and it's also scary. Imagine if you and I watch the same movie and it's just-in-time because it's generated just-in-time for you, to your liking. What does that world look like it's very scary. But we got to sort of unpack that and talk through it with different people with different mindset, different background, different cultural references, in order to understand what to look after, what to look out for.

Speaker 2: 36:59

I do not quite agree with the concept of we got to slow down. We got to be very careful. Yes, we are, but without the right frame of reference for the future, it's really hard to say let's be careful. Yes, we can be careful, but the easiest way to be careful is to stop moving, which we should not do. So my recommendation for all of us is let's project, let's think crazy far in the future.

Speaker 2: 37:32

What will happen? And then let's debate, right, let's say, hey, on-demand, just-in-time software would not work, would not happen. Well, and why? And why would it not work? Why would it not happen? And only through that then we can come up with well, maybe today, if we want to avoid that, let's say, if we go far in the future, let's say, on-demand, just-in-time movie will be a very crazy world, because I can put in a very different idea into you than into someone else, which is kind of what's happening in social media. Now we already see what happened in social media. Let's maybe add some safeguard. Maybe we think through a little bit. Maybe we do not quite allow on-demand movie until you're old enough, I don't know. But these things will not happen until we actually repay, and just stopping current development it's not going to solve the problem. That's my opinion. I can be opinionated on that.

Speaker 1: 38:34

Good point.

Speaker 1: 38:35

In a way, I agree with you, but it is important to find that balance between too slow and too fast Right, and here we are still not strong enough as human beings in developing those values.

Speaker 1: 38:53

You know, when I think about those philosophers of the ancient times of the past, they were there exactly to create some kind of more balance, and today I feel that we are quite lacking that type of personalities and also that type of conversations.

Speaker 1: 39:16

And that's why it's amazing that you mentioned the need of opening up the space for the open and honest conversations where we can debate, where we can see the truth getting born from the discussions, from the clash of our different opinions and approaches and experiences and visions.

Speaker 1: 39:42

And that's why I appreciate you being a part of the AI Game Changers Club, appreciate you being a part of the AI Game Changers Club, because that's exactly the space where we are meant to be safe in order to run and drive the progress based on AI solutions, based on human values, based on how we want the future to look like, and that is the future want the future to look like, and that is the future. Definitely. I strongly believe that we need those conversations and those gatherings of the bright minds from different verticals, different experiences, different countries and cultures in order to get that variety of options and find the truth which can be the most sustainable way forward for all of us and for the humanity as well. Correct Z what is the single most important advice you would give to the next generation of inventors and innovators who want to build impactful, future-ready solutions in the age of artificial intelligence?

Speaker 2: 40:56

Well, last time I talked about the secret to get ahead is to start. I want to say one more thing, which is just embrace yourself. Knowing yourself is not an easy journey, but if you want to be innovative, you want to be successful in life, don't follow. Following is easy. Following makes sense. Following is important, but don't follow, Don't just follow. Know yourself.

Speaker 2: 41:22

Know yourself takes practice, and I don't think our education system educate us to know ourselves. We get taught on hard skills. We were not taught to dig deep. Who am I? Why does something like I love something and not the other thing? And so my vibe will be try to know yourself, trying to learn who you are. What is important?

Speaker 2: 41:50

I actually asked Chet Gpt to help me come up with the life mission and I sent a couple of books into it. So I read some books about life mission and then I pushed those books into Chet Gpt and say, like, consume all of those and give me a survey on life mission. And it did and it helps me and I would encourage everybody. I did and it helped me and I would encourage everybody. I mean, I can publish that it's just a retroactive way of learning about yourself. Now you're not answering to anybody, so this is not a test. You're answering to yourself. So it will ask you like which experience you remember the most from your earliest childhood?

Speaker 2: 42:28

Something like that, Like knowing yourself. The more you know yourself, the more you can innovate and you can do great stuff and know that you'll change. So if you believe you know yourself, do that again. In five years, in 10 years, you may change and be open to that. And I think it's also important Be open to you. Don't actually know yourself just yet. That allows you to learn about yourself more and that allows you to understand why you do certain things, and that understanding will help you pick a lane, pick something that truly, truly drives you, and then you can go further that way truly drives you and then you can go further that way.

Speaker 1: 43:17

I absolutely love this advice because it's both wise and deep, and it sounds like bomb on my soul, because that's exactly what I think is so crucial today for so many leaders who I see they can't proceed, they are hitting that glass ceiling just because they don't know themselves good enough, and that's why I'm working so much around the topics of finding your inner power, tapping into your inner power, finding your mission.

Speaker 1: 43:49

I've been searching for my mission in life for so many years and I invested incredible resources. It all was before the chat GPT time, where you could just feed a little bit of information and come closer to the truth, but at the same time, it helped me figuring out who I am and also took me to the point where I realized that it is so important to have those regular checkups with yourself through the life, because we are growing, we changing, certain events and experiences are changing us, evolving, and life is impacting us in different ways, and that's why it is truly important to recalibrate ourselves and be aligned with our mission and keep developing in this meaningful way. So thank you so much for today's conversation, for sharing your advice, for sharing your wisdom, experience and inspiring all of us. I truly appreciate you, zee.

Speaker 2: 45:02

Thank you, Amy.

Speaker 1: 45:04

Thank you for joining us on Digital Transformation and AI for Humans. I'm Amy and it was enriching to share this time with you. Remember, the core of any transformation lies in our human nature how we think, feel and connect with others. It is about enhancing our emotional intelligence, embracing the winning mindset and leading with empathy and insight. Subscribe and stay tuned for more episodes where we uncover the latest trends in digital business and explore the human side of technology and leadership. Until next time, keep nurturing your mind, fostering your connections and leading with heart.