"Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically are also essential to a career in the industry. The world of AI is still largely uncharted territory; there’s no rulebook yet for how to navigate it. To succeed, one must be able to tackle complex problems and find innovative Solutions."
Artificial Intelligence is now the leading edge of technology, driving unprecedented advancements across sectors. From healthcare to finance, education to environment, the AI industry is witnessing a skyrocketing demand for professionals. However, the path to creating a successful career in AI is multifaceted and constantly evolving. What does it take and what does one need in order to create a highly successful career in AI?
In this interview series, we are talking to successful AI professionals, AI founders, AI CEOs, educators in the field, AI researchers, HR managers in tech companies, and anyone who holds authority in the realm of Artificial Intelligence to inspire and guide those who are eager to embark on this exciting career path.
As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Gil Pekelman, CEO & Co-Founder of Atera.
Gil Pekelman is the CEO and co-founder of AI-powered IT management platform Atera. Prior to founding Atera, Gil held senior positions at Indigo NV (now a division of HP) and Exanet (acquired by DELL). He has a degree in Economics and Management (Cum Laude) and is the sole inventor of three patents.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would like to learn a bit about your origin story. Can you share with us a bit about your childhood and how you grew up?
As a child, I loved playing basketball. I credit the sport for teaching me a lot of key principles that helped shape me as a leader. It emphasized healthy competition, continuous improvement, and pushing beyond limits. This drive instilled in me a passion for continuous goal-setting, skill refinement, and embracing challenges.
Basketball also underscored the importance of teamwork and collaboration, showing me success relies on cohesive teamwork and reliable teammates. Moreover, the sport taught me resilience — how to bounce back from setbacks and failures, adapt, and persevere.
Can you share with us the ‘backstory” of how you decided to pursue a career path in AI?
My journey into the world of tech, which eventually led to AI, began in China. There, I navigated through various tech ventures and often grappled with setbacks.
Eventually, my partner Oshri and I acquired firewall hardware, around which we developed complementary software.
However, in this venture, it became apparent very quickly that there were virtually no tools available on the market to effectively manage the myriad of IT issues that IT professionals face daily. Attempting to manage these challenges often resulted in countless late nights and stressful phone calls with frustrated customers. It was during this time that we had an epiphany — we had stumbled upon something far more intriguing than just a firewall. We had uncovered a significant gap in the market and were determined to develop a product to address it.
We ultimately sold our firewall business and used the profits to found Atera in 2011, a platform that could address the industry’s glaring gap for IT management. We started to gain organic traction almost immediately, which led to strong customer conversions. Within six months we knew we were onto something big.
The announcement of OpenAI opened yet another thrilling window of opportunity for us, as we had already constructed a framework perfectly aligned with this cutting-edge technology. Harnessing the power of AI, we seamlessly integrated it into our product, tailoring its capabilities to automate mundane tasks and streamline IT operations. This pivotal decision catapulted Atera to its current position as a game-changer in the industry, revolutionizing the way IT teams work and empowering them with AI-powered IT solutions.
Can you tell our readers about the most interesting projects you are working on now?
Our primary goal right now is to make Atera the go-to platform for IT management and revolutionize the world of IT management with our innovative platform powered by Action AI.
At this point, there’s a greater market need than ever for a solution like ours, and at its core, Atera is addressing the fundamental inefficiencies in traditional IT management. IT is typically one of the most overworked and underappreciated departments, and there are a lot of pain points in the industry that currently aren’t being addressed.
One of the key ways Atera is transforming IT management is through the elimination of Tier-1 support tickets. Traditionally, most technicians handle basic troubleshooting and repetitive support tasks, which can be time-consuming and burdensome. With Atera’s Autopilot, these simple fixes and tasks can be self-troubleshooted by the end users, allowing junior techs to be upskilled to handle more complex IT issues. This not only streamlines the support process but also empowers IT professionals to focus on more critical tasks, such as security and addressing technical debt. The result is a significant reduction in response times, which is often the number one concern for IT departments, and a tenfold increase in organizational efficiency.
We also recently launched the Atera Copilot. Atera Copilot is your AI-powered IT companion, designed to streamline your daily tasks. It troubleshoots IT issues with real-time diagnostics and AI-recommended actions, instantly summarizes tickets, generates responses with selectable tones, and provides proven AI solutions based on device diagnostics and ticket history. Additionally, Copilot can create knowledge base articles from ticket resolutions, generate custom scripts in seconds, provide tailored OID recommendations, and even convert words into terminal commands, and communicate in both writing and voice. I think it’s safe to say it’s a game-changer for IT professionals.
We’re also on a mission to simplify the cluttered landscape of IT management software. For most IT professionals, the daily routine involves switching between multiple applications: one for ticketing, another for remote access, and yet another for patch management. This fragmented approach wastes valuable time and resources. We offer a true all-in-one solution that makes IT management seamless for the user.
As with any career path, the AI industry comes with its own set of challenges. Could you elaborate on some of the significant challenges you faced in your AI career and how you managed to overcome them?
One of the biggest AI challenges we’ve run into with Atera is the perception issue. Many people are excited about the possibilities of AI, but there are a lot of reservations and skepticism around the technology as well, and many people just dismiss AI as just another keyword, without actually learning about just how powerful it really is.
Many employees are worried that AI might make their jobs obsolete within the next decade. This concern isn’t baseless, AI and automation can certainly replace some roles that are centered around repetitive, formulaic tasks.
But with all this said, it’s important to note that AI is not a substitute for human intelligence, creativity, and critical thinking. While AI excels at tasks that are rule-based, predictable, and data-driven, it lacks the nuanced understanding, intuition, and emotional intelligence that humans possess.
Ultimately, the key lies in leveraging the strengths of AI to augment human capabilities to focus on higher-value activities that require human creativity, adaptability, and the ability to navigate ambiguous situations. AI should be seen as a partner in the workplace — not a competitor.
Integrating AI into your workflows and processes can offload repetitive tasks, enhance productivity, and unlock new possibilities. By striking the right balance between AI and human collaboration, your IT team can achieve remarkable results that create a more prosperous future for all.
For a young person who would like to eventually make a career in AI, which skills and subjects do they need to learn?
First and foremost, you must have a deep interest in the subject and a willingness to continuously learn new techniques, tools, and technologies, as the field of AI is constantly evolving. In order to stay competitive and advance your career, you must constantly seek out opportunities to learn and expand your skill set.
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically are also essential to a career in the industry. The world of AI is still largely uncharted territory; there’s no rulebook yet for how to navigate it. To succeed, one must be able to tackle complex problems and find innovative Solutions.
While traditionally a common answer to this question would likely center around linear algebra, calculus, and statistics, the field of AI is expanding exponentially, and with it comes the need for responsible AI. Professionals need to mitigate biases, ensure fairness and transparency, and navigate complex legal and ethical landscapes. Effective communication and collaboration with diverse stakeholders, coupled with adept project management and continuous learning, are essential for promoting ethical AI practices and addressing societal concerns, ultimately fostering trust and advancing the responsible deployment of AI technologies.
Ethical AI development is a pressing concern in the industry. How do you approach the ethical implications of AI, and what steps do you believe individuals and organizations should take to ensure responsible and fair AI practices?
The question of ethics is one of the most pressing issues around AI, and for good reason. At Atera, we approach the ethical implications of AI with a multifaceted strategy aimed at ensuring responsible and fair AI practices.
In addition to external precautionary measures, there should also be safeguards within organizations to protect both employees and customers from potential technological hazards. This involves establishing an ethical framework and guidelines that highlight precautionary measures for using generative AI and outline principles around fairness, accountability, transparency, and privacy.
So for example, by utilizing Microsoft Azure Open AI — as opposed to other unauthorized or potentially unsafe generative AI tools — prompts (inputs), completions (outputs), and training data are not available to other customers or used to improve OpenAI models, but can be used only by you and your company.
At Atera, we make sure our customers’ usage has no impact on the public model. Their inputs, outputs, embeddings, and knowledge base (KB) content are inaccessible to other customers, and they are not used to train Atera or Azure OpenAI’s AI algorithms or any Microsoft or third-party products.
At Atera we’re also big believers in responsible AI, and we strongly advocate for open and continuous dialogue to promote responsible development, implementation, and utilization of AI, and actively look to engage in such discussions.
Additionally, it’s critical to regularly examine the data privacy policies, encryption methods, and access controls implemented by the software vendors you choose to work with. It’s crucial not to get distracted by all of the exciting, shiny new features when assessing potential AI partners and vendors. Instead, be sure to ask about their data privacy and security policies.
Continuous learning and upskilling are vital in a dynamic field like AI. How do you approach ongoing education and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the AI industry? What advice do you have for those looking to grow their careers in AI?
In the rapidly evolving field of AI, continuous learning and upskilling are not just beneficial; they are essential for staying relevant and innovative. Personally, I approach ongoing education as a multifaceted endeavor. Firstly, I allocate time each week to read about the latest industry advancements, and I also make sure to learn from others.
It’s important for organizations to create an environment that continuously provides employees with opportunities for education and growth. From day one, we fostered what we call a “flat culture” at Atera, meaning everyone is encouraged to voice their opinions and make decisions, even if they disagree with each other, respectfully. Creating that open dialogue not only allows employees to voice where they need additional support or education, but it also helps inform our efforts for how to best provide that for them.
For those looking to grow their careers in AI, my advice is to be proactive about your learning. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Seek out mentorship from experienced professionals who can provide guidance and feedback. Engage actively in AI communities online and offline. These communities can be rich sources of information and networking opportunities. Additionally, work on personal or open-source projects. This practical experience is invaluable and can often be a differentiator in your career. Lastly, always keep an ethical lens on your work in AI; understanding its societal impacts is as important as the technical aspects.
What is your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that had relevance to your own life?
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
This quote resonates deeply with me because it emphasizes the importance of perseverance and resilience. In the fast-paced and ever-evolving field of AI, there are constant challenges and setbacks. However, it’s the courage to push forward, learn from failures, and continue striving for innovation that ultimately leads to success.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can follow me on LinkedIn, as well as Atera, and learn more about us at https://www.atera.com.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
This article was originally featured on Authority Magazine.
What do you feel are crucial tips for thriving in the AI landscape?
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