Doug Thomson, Artificial Intelligence Ambassador and Technical Strategic Director at Microsoft, joined us on Ask a CEO Podcast to share his journey and experience as a senior official at Microsoft translating and training young minds at Microsoft. Check out all other episodes of Ask a CEO here.
Connect with Doug Thompson and Microsoft here:
Key Facts:
- Over the years, Microsoft has changed its business model. It is now more focused on the ambition to let people do more via its products.
- AI has effectively come into play in the current scenario due to heavy data in flow. AI swiftly sifts out the vast amount of data, analyses and jots it down to the most important points.
- AI usage shall enable more automation in operations, allowing us the time to concentrate on more creative and strategic tasks.
Key Takeaways:
- Doug Thompson is considered a master storyteller and Ted Talk Speaker.
- He has a strong foundation as an Artificial Intelligence Ambassador and Technical Strategic Director for Microsoft’s education team.
- He has been an active part of the organization since 19 years and counting.
- Doug Thompson is a prolific poster at LinkedIn.
- He has founded his podcast by the name of Tech Story Podcast, where he shares thoughtful, inspirational and motivational stories about his journey and experience.
- The title “The Doug Thompson†signifies his social handle from all the other similar name accounts.
- During his tenure at Microsoft, Doug has had the privilege to work with three CEOs: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and now Satya Nadella.Â
- Microsoft is an organization which inspires people on a daily basis and offers continuous learning experiences.Â
- Over the years, Microsoft has changed its business model. It is now more focused on the ambition to let people do more via its products.
- As a Technical Storyteller, Doug’s job is to understand the user’s concern and then find the technological solution to it.
- The best way to send a message across the user is to tell it through a story.
- AI has effectively come into play in the current scenario due to heavy data. AI swiftly sifts out the vast amount of data, analyzes and jots it down to the most important points.
- AI has enabled real-time transcription from a conversation, which is a very powerful tool.Â
- Through transcription, recognition of speech and words enables non-native English speakers to participate more, leading to an inclusive environment.
- In the next five years, AI is likely to become even more embedded in our lives.Â
- The biggest challenge that would present itself is for people with tasks such as transcription to upscale their skills to stay relevant in such a society.Â
- AI usage shall enable more automation in operations, allowing us the time to concentrate on more creative and strategic tasks.
- AI is not self-aware, which means that humans are in control of it to date. This may be why, we see breaches and misuse of data, among other things attributed to AI.
Doug’s biggest influence
- During his tenure at Microsoft, Doug has gone through three CEOs: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and now Satya Nadella. The best thing he feels about Microsoft is the learning he consistently and continuously experiences. He attributes this by saying that he is never the smartest person in the room unless he is alone.
Quote:
About Doug Thompson
Doug Thompson is a passionate storyteller and TEDx speaker. He can be found sharing his passion for mentoring other professionals develop their storytelling skills in his LinkedIn videos. He believes that everyone has a story and it is just a matter of unlocking it from the grips of the subconscious mind.
Like all superheroes he has an alter ego as an AI Ambassador and Technology Strategist Director for the Education team at Microsoft. In these roles he leverages his storytelling skills to share how Microsoft technologies can transform the student experience to empower teachers and students of today create the world of tomorrow.
Doug and his wife, of more than 37 years, enjoy spending time with their two children and 7 grandchildren whenever possible. He is also a retired triathlete and is a 2-time Ironman Triathlon finisher and now plans on being the next Ninja Warrior known as “The Great Baldini”.
Like all superheroes he has an alter ego as an AI Ambassador and Technology Strategist Director for the Education team at Microsoft. In these roles he leverages his storytelling skills to share how Microsoft technologies can transform the student experience to empower teachers and students of today create the world of tomorrow.
Doug and his wife, of more than 37 years, enjoy spending time with their two children and 7 grandchildren whenever possible. He is also a retired triathlete and is a 2-time Ironman Triathlon finisher and now plans on being the next Ninja Warrior known as “The Great Baldini”.