Why AI could be your next best career mentor

At the time, upskilling for digital transformation was a priority across all businesses. Through formal learning experiences such as Design for Six Sigma in Engineering and situational leadership courses, I broadened my skillset, becoming well-equipped to work in this new era. And the rotational program that GE offered rounded out my formal education with lived experience.

Career mobility was deeply interconnected to learning, performance and succession at GE and mentors played an integral role in facilitating career mobility and personal growth. My mentor pushed me to take on business planning, strategy and financial planning roles beyond my comfort zone of product and engineering, encouraging me to continually expand my knowledge and skillset. Even after I left GE and entered consumer tech, I had a strong background of operational discipline, but I had to learn how to keep up with the pace of change in the industry.

Strong mentors and their guidance in learning modules, courses and which conferences, gigs and projects I should lead really made a difference in my career trajectory and eventually performance and growth.

My point of sharing that story is that this same kind of mentorship is now also possible through AI tools, opening access to everyone. These tools can recommend learning and development courses, other jobs that you might be a good fit for, or even temporary assignments to address an area for experiential learning and upskilling, and much more.

Ushering a new era of people growth by democratising mentorship

While I was lucky to have these people in my orbit, not everyone has the same access to mentorship. But with AI, I envision a world where all employees can have access to tailored career advice and insights.

AI can conquer many of the barriers that make democratising mentorship difficult – accessibility, scalability and continuous learning opportunities. With AI, organisations can make mentorship resources readily available, whether through videos, online learning and development tools or mobile apps. AI is a scalable solution, equipped to handle many users looking to access personalised guidance and advice. In addition, AI is always accruing more data and information on users, enabling the system to constantly provide its mentees with new content to engage with.

AI can perceptibly identify the gap between stated and unstated career intent, can assess the trajectory one has been in, can neutralise bias (this has to be done programmatically, as a priority) that may have stunted growth in an individual, can widen their options, and make win-win propositions that benefit the employer and the employee. This is all powered by “longitudinal data” over a long period of time, and compiled from vast number of people, across disparate points of interaction.

Research has found that underrepresented minorities are more comfortable having this initial discussion (case in point: career mobility) with a tool than a person. AI can analyse individual profiles and career goals, and offer personalised recommendations. Through understanding the unique needs and aspirations of each mentee, AI mentors can offer tailored guidance and suggest relevant courses and L&D opportunities for them to acquire a new skill or home in on existing one.

With AI there is always the possibility to learn more. Mentees can continuously learn and update their knowledge as new information becomes available. With data-driven insights, AI can recognise patterns in an employee’s performance and identify key areas for growth. By harnessing the power of data, we can reveal our ability to perform under different circumstances and styles, and access a whole world of learning tools of all kinds.

We’ve achieved the next democratised industry 

We have seen other industries democratise opportunities that used to be reserved for a select few. For example, ride-sharing companies democratised the “limo”-type service previously reserved for the privileged few. And new media has given content creators and artists the ability to connect directly with fans, something that was once exclusive to record companies and their PR agencies.

With AI, we can be the next example of democratising an industry. We only need business leaders to get onboard and prioritise this experience for their people. It’s important because we get to truly unleash the limitless potential in people. When human potential is harnessed and advancements in technology are responsibly made, the world is a better place.

Karthik Suri is Chief Product Officer at Cornerstone, where he leads product strategy, development, delivery and alignment of the company’s world-class learning and talent development solutions.

Prior to Cornerstone, Karthik held positions at Invitae, where he was head of Global Projects and Technology, and as COO at GE Digital. He has also worked in leadership roles at PayPal, eBay, Magento, Yahoo! and Barclays, and is presently on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Northern California.

Karthik holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree in Chemistry from BITS, Pilani, India, a Masters in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University and a dual MBA from Columbia Business School and University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

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