Welcome to 🌐 AI-D Global 🌐 , a new monthly series exploring the ideas, experiences, and people shaping progress across borders and disciplines.
Created with Petra Kakovič Bizjak, a technology expert, strategic project leader, and member of Zavod AI-D, the series brings you concise insights from her conversations with international voices in technology, business, and beyond. Published on the last day of each month, every edition offers new perspectives to consider—and ideas to put into practice.
Our first edition, Patterns of Progress, brings together three minds from three fields and three countries: Jelena Ječmenić, a public-sector technology leader from Serbia; Ken Okel, a performance strategist and keynote speaker from the United States; and Anjali Anjali, a researcher working on sustainable materials for carbon capture from India.
1. LOOKING BACK AT YOUR CHILDHOOD, WHAT HABIT OR TRAIT HINTED THAT YOU’D END UP HERE?
JELENA: I would say determination, a love of problem-solving (I loved puzzles), and a refusal to accept other people’s assumptions about what I could do. Even as a child, I knew I wanted to work in engineering. I asked for a computer rather than a Barbie, and when I tried to join the IT club at school, I was told that it was not for girls. That only made me more determined to build a career around technology and solving complex problems. I have to say, being part of so many organisations’ transformation and evolution is very rewarding.
KEN: My curiosity, which my psychologist father always encouraged. He inspired me to seek answers in the structured wisdom of books.
ANJALI: Growing up in an army family, I changed schools almost every year, which taught me to adapt quickly to new people, places, and environments. Over time, I developed a genuine curiosity about the unfamiliar, with every question opening the door to something new.
2. WHAT SKILLS WILL BE MOST VALUABLE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
JELENA: The ability to combine an understanding of technology with common sense. Leaders will need to understand AI well enough to make informed decisions, but also recognise that creativity, accountability, empathy, and responsibility for outcomes cannot be delegated to a machine. AI can accelerate delivery, but it is human judgement that determines whether technology creates real value and maintains trust.
KEN: The ability to cut through the noise to find the right information and use it effectively.
ANJALI: The ability to work across disciplines, use AI and data critically, and think in terms of sustainability and life-cycle impact. In research, it will no longer be enough to ask, “Does it work?” We will also need to ask, “Can it scale, and is it truly sustainable?”
3. WHAT CORE PHILOSOPHY OR IDEA GUIDES YOU?
JELENA: Technology should serve people and the public good. I start with the outcome we want to improve for citizens. Technology alone rarely solves complex challenges; the best outcomes come when government, academia, industry, and the innovation community align around a common goal.
KEN: During my tenure as director of a ballet house, I was struck by a ballerina’s insight: “Frustration is a choice.”
ANJALI: Stay curious, stay adaptable, and keep moving forward. I believe growth comes from being open to change, learning from every experience, and not being afraid of the unknown.
🌐 AI-D Global – Curated by Petra Kakovič Bizjak & Kaja Kovič 🌐