Like many leaders today, Prabha Jha has been feeling the significant impact artificial intelligence is having on business operations. While the rapid evolution of the technology can bring fear, uncertainty, and confusion, Jha chose a different response: excitement. She began asking herself, “How do I become part of this once-in-a-lifetime thing?”
Jha holds a bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Calcutta and earned her MBA while working at Verizon, where she continues to build her career. As she looked for an educational opportunity to engage more deeply with AI, MIT quickly emerged as a natural choice.
Growing up, Jha viewed MIT as “the mecca for anybody who is in engineering and technology,” so she naturally turned to the Institute when seeking an opportunity to learn about AI. Unlike other programs that took place fully online, MIT xPRO’s AI for Senior Executives stood out to Jha primarily because it offered an in-person component that allowed her to meet and connect with peers.
Jha decided to take the leap. She acknowledges that the program was a significant investment of both time and money, but ultimately views it as one of “the best decisions [she] made” — one she “would do all over again if [she] had to.” The experience gave Jha the opportunity she was looking for to invest in herself and strengthen her skills in AI. It also provided her with invaluable professional relationships and the confidence to develop multiple AI solutions for Verizon. Putting those news skills and relationships to work, she co-wrote, with some of her peers, “The AI Anthology,” a collection of AI insights designed to support other leaders navigating similar challenges with AI.
An unexpected learning obstacle
Jha’s learning journey wasn’t without its curveballs, though. Just two months before she was set to complete the program, she spent two weeks in the hospital with a severe infection and was unable to graduate with her original cohort. With the help of MIT staff, she joined the next cohort, giving her an unexpected opportunity to spend another five days on campus with 100 brand-new peers.
“You just never know what curveball life can throw and what it might be there for,” Jha says.
What initially felt like a setback turned into an unexpected benefit. Jha valued the opportunity to meet new people and spend more time on campus. She also appreciated that just six months later, the program’s content had already been refreshed. Those additional “five days of immersion” became a vital part of Jha’s learning journey, giving her and her peers more time to collaborate face-to-face and learn from one another.
“I think it was eye-opening to be able to meet so many people with diverse backgrounds and geography, and then we connected at the human level,” she says.
Jha particularly valued that sense of connection in the context of learning about AI, a field that, she acknowledges, comes with fears, vulnerabilities, and difficult questions. Learning alongside peers with different professional and cultural backgrounds gave her new perspectives and added another dimension to the experience. Jha estimates that “30 percent of what I was learning was from the program, material, and professor [while] 70 percent was my peers and the interactions.”
Peer discussions spark an idea
The idea that would change the trajectory of Jha’s time in the program came during a “salon gathering” at the home of Manolis Kellis, a professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. As students shared personal stories about their experiences with AI, one story in particular stayed with Jha: that of one of her peers, whose motivation to explore AI solutions stemmed from her work to find a cure for her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
At that moment, Jha realized that AI is personal. She still “gets goosebumps thinking of that moment where AI really became human and a connecting point.”
She saw the value in capturing these diverse perspectives and experiences with AI that go beyond operational efficiency and revenue growth, and wanted to continue the conversation beyond the program. Jha expressed to her peers an interest in capturing these stories and connections in a book. One year later, Jha and 20 other leaders released “The AI Anthology,” a collection of essays examining the influence AI has had across industries and across society.
One of the biggest takeaways from the AI for Senior Executives program — and one that Jha hopes readers will take from her book — is the importance of thinking differently.
Jha believes leaders may be missing a fundamental shift: “We are still kind of stuck in this traditional measurement of success,” she says. “We cherish revenue; we like cost-cutting and time-saving, and converting them to dollars.”
While Jha acknowledges this mindset makes sense in corporate America, she believes leaders must move beyond it in order to find more empowerment through AI and its capabilities. She notes that future generations are already asking different questions, including: “What can I get in the quality of my life?” and “How can I use my time in a way that is fulfilling for me early on?”
The future of embracing AI for business and a better world
Jha recognizes that AI adoption is not optional for businesses, and that everyone must learn about and embrace it. At the same time, she is a steadfast believer in AI’s ability to create a better world. Instead of viewing AI as a foregone burden, she sees it as a “transformation unlike any other” that is providing us with the opportunity to overcome insecurity, adapt and grow, and invest in ourselves.
In her work at Verizon, Jha takes seriously the company’s role as “a brand name for reliable, quality service” providing “critical infrastructure” to groups, such as first responders or children, who depend on their services. This responsibility comes with a privileged obligation to participate in and protect society, and Jha finds it empowering that AI can help enable this. In her own experience, she’s appreciated the ability to accelerate progress and impact, when she may have previously needed to rely on a larger team.
So, what’s next for Jha? Currently, she is working on a new initiative focused on supporting small and medium-sized businesses that are navigating AI implementation. Her goal is to help them understand what tools they need, how AI fits into their specific operational model, and how they can measure success, so they can focus on their strengths as a business and how they can drive value.
