Meet Sofia Guzowski
AI & Emerging Technologies Business Development Analyst at Microsoft
Founder, Gen Z thought leader, and human.
Q: What perspective does Gen Z bring to AI?
Sofia Guzowski: Gen Z is more open to trying new technology. We’re fresh out of college and making our place in the professional world, all while trying out different methods of working to see what benefits us.
I use AI everyday in both my personal and professional lives. For example, I’m helping my sister study for the SATs, so we use ChatGPT to generate practice test questions. I’m also always looking for opportunities to test the boundaries of how I can use AI to produce more creative and efficient content. I think everyone would benefit from exploring these tools and learning the use cases of the technology. That’s my goal when posting on my channels – sharing how to hack these systems to produce the results that you need.
Gen Z is passionate about accessibility and education. AI tools that promote these values will ultimately be the most successful.
Related: Humans Behind the AI: Meet the AI Consultant
Q: How did you get into the technology and AI space?
Guzowski: During college I joined a club called the Columbia (University) Women’s Business Society, which connected me with internships in the startup space. Through that I developed a personality for business development, which is what I do now at Microsoft.
When I first got into this space, I felt incredibly frantic. I felt like I didn’t know as much as my peers and I had to ask for a lot of help. People were really patient with me. They showed me which accounts they followed and newsletters they read that have helped them learn more about AI. Because of the help I received, I consider myself fluent in the language of AI and I’m so grateful for that. I want to make sure that more people have access to the same resources that I did.
Q: What are you doing for Gen Z outside of your day job?
Guzowski: I’m on a Gen Z Advisory Board at Able Partners investment fund. I think having a board like this is such a smart move for them. Many times our generation is targeted in advertising for products that we don’t need or want or aren’t appealing to us. We’re a huge generation with a lot of future buying power and if you want to make money, you have to know who you’re selling to.
Q: What are some of your favorite professional experiences that you’ve had?
Guzowski: During the pandemic, I founded my own startup (Otter Advising). We recruited mentors from all the top universities in the US and helped high school students applying to college. Working directly with students and witnessing their passion projects and interests come to life was incredibly fulfilling.
When I was applying to college coming from Latin America, I realized that the application process is full of unknowns for international students. The big thing about AI is that it democratizes access to information for everyone. There are free tools you can use to help you summarize things, and even platforms where you can input pictures of your screen and it will show you where to click to submit your application. I mentor a lot of high school students applying to college and having tools like these makes a big difference for them.
Q: What is your biggest hope for AI?
Guzowski: My biggest hope for AI goes back to education. I hope AI continues to make information more accessible and that it facilitates necessary resources for underprivileged individuals. I’m excited to see how people will get creative with AI and help students adapt to this new reality – because AI is here to stay.
Related: Humans Behind the AI: Meet the Educator
For further reading on the future of legal technology and how AI is shaping the landscape, click here.
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