Advancing AI The Right Way

To Naveed Asem, artificial intelligence (AI) is similar to an advanced harvesting machine coming to a field of big data to expertly separate the wheat from the chaff.  

Asem (MSIT ‘13) is the senior vice president of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence for WEX, a company whose services help businesses manage their payments and financial data more efficiently and effectively.   

He also is an adjunct lecturer and Industry Advisory Board member for Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) program, where he teaches Artificial Intelligence and Automation. 

Asem said the overwhelming amount of data companies now can collect created fertile ground for technologies like AI to come along and farm.   

“The field of data and analytics is not new," he said. "The thing that continues to change is the scale at which we generate data, which creates so much opportunity for what we can do with this data. Now layer in artificial intelligence and new tech such as ChatGPT and virtual agents, and you have a perfect formula to disrupt businesses.”    

This convergence of data and the emerging technology to sift through it to extract meaningful business insights gives those who can master its use a competitive edge in the business world. This is why Asem sees the MSIT class he leads as a vital part of the program’s offerings.  

But the biggest lesson he teaches his students about using AI is not to become too focused on that technology.  

“One piece of advice I give my students and repeat many times is that the hardest part of AI is usually finding a use case that is worthy of this tech,” Asem said. “Most use cases don’t really require AI, and as a result, I spend a lot of time talking about when ‘not to AI’ compared to only talking about all the amazing things you can do with AI.”  

Asem applies the same lessons he teaches in the classroom to his role at WEX, where he's worked since December 2022. He joined the company after a two-year stint as the head of global analytics and insight with software company Avalara.   

“It's a role where you learn the heart and soul of a company and then ensure it prospers by being the best version of itself using data, analytics, and insights,” he said. “You define the mission, vision, and purpose of the data and analytics organization and create a roadmap to deliver toward that strategic direction through how it generates revenue and how it delights its customers.”  

WEX’s customers span a wide range of industries, from fleet management and travel to healthcare and corporate payments. Its customers are awash in data.  

Asem said AI is a useful tool to help uncover hidden insights deep inside these massive datasets, but he also cautions students about the responsibility that comes with developing the technology.   

“The output of the AI engine is as good as the humans that trained it," he said. "The bias that exists in humans transfers directly into the AI. This is an area we all need to be very cautious of.” 

Helping develop ethical users of AI gives Asem purpose and excites him about his role as an educator. He said his goal with the Artificial Intelligence and Automation course is to get as many people as possible familiar with the technology to help ensure it is advanced responsibly.  

“I love teaching this class,” he said. “I like to demystify and simplify the complexity of AI so it is democratized throughout business.”