Our first EMEA Recruitment podcast episode of 2021 welcomes Peter van der Putten, the Director, AI Solutions at Pega and Assistant Professor, AI at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

“The irony of it is that AI sounds super high-tech, but on the flip side, it could help companies become more human.”

Peter spoke to our Founder, Paul Toms, from his home in Amsterdam, which he agrees is a great place to work and live. He’s always worked in Artificial Intelligence (AI), having studied one of the first master’s degrees in the subject during the 1980s.

Peter’s fascination with AI goes beyond the technological aspects; he’s interested in finding the answers to questions that are centuries old, as well as how AI shines a light on human experiences and expectations.

We discussed the influence that AI will have on companies and people in the future, as well as the greatest shift in technology that has made AI what it is today. Peter’s research in the field also stretches beyond AI and looks at the other unique human qualities that we could artificialize. Be sure to listen out for the study he managed on whether we can artificialize creativity!

It’s his work in AI research that enables Peter to think positively about the future of AI; he explains to Paul how our relationship is evolving and what we can do about the negative aspects of technology.

In terms of business, Peter is insistent that companies must consider whose benefit they are using technology for. In fact, he explains how this change in focus is affecting the type of roles that will deal with AI moving forward. We talked about how professionals taking their first steps into a career in AI or Business Intelligence & Data can stand out.

Peter has some key advice for technologically-minded people who may be struggling in a business environment, as well as the best way for him to check out of his work.

We are proud to bring you this tech-focussed episode of the EMEA Recruitment podcast, looking at the future of AI and its effect on business.

Be sure to check out our other episodes here: https://www.emearecruitment.com/podcasts

To find the part of the episode that most interests you, use the timestamps below:

01:00 – Living in Amsterdam
01:57 – How AI can humanise companies
06:00 – Entering the puberty years of AI
09:21 – Can we artificialize other human qualities?
11:53 – Creating modern art with AI
15:39 – The good and bad sides of AI
22:40 – How to use AI in the right way
30:22 – Why AI will shift into business roles
33:42 – How to begin your career path in AI
39:01 – The importance of developing your people skills
43:20 – How Peter checks out from his work
46:25 – How to connect to Peter

You can listen to the full episode here: 

Or at: https://emearecruitment.libsyn.com/emea-recruitment-podcast-74-how-ai-can-humanise-companies-peter-van-der-putten

If you’d like to connect with Peter on LinkedIn, click here. You can also follow him on Twitter, using @PetervanderP

To find out more about Pega, visit its website: https://www.pega.com/

To learn more about Peter’s research at Leiden University, click here.

Learn more about emotional, creative and even religious robots at Bots Like You.

We are proud to bring you the EMEA Recruitment podcast in partnership with Operation Smile, an international medical charity. We want to raise more awareness and funds for the vital work that Operation Smile does in delivering life-changing surgery to children and adults with cleft lip and palate. If you’d like to find out more, or to donate, please click here: https://www.emearecruitment.com/pages/operation-smile

The EMEA Recruitment podcast is hosted by Paul Toms and Jenny Callum, our Associate Director.

To find out more about us, please visit our website: https://www.emearecruitment.com/

You can also follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emea-recruitment-limited/

You can connect with Paul on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultoms/

Or Jenny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennycallumemea/

Please share this episode with anyone that you think would find Peter’s unique insight into AI interesting.