Transformation of the Week
Noor Aftab

Transcript

Lusk: Hey Noor, thanks for joining me today. Congrats on winning the Transformation of The Week, tell me a little bit more about your background.

Noor: Thank you Chris, I’m excited. So a little bit about me, I don’t just work in AI, I help shape how AI transforms industries, businesses, and community. So my career is built at the intersection of AI, cloud, and digital transformation, bridging technical innovation with real world impact.

Right now I focus on three key areas at Amazon, I am a senior program manager and leading some of the strategic programs in cloud and foundational data services.
This year I’m honored to be recognized as an IBM Champion. That gives me early access to cutting edge AI models and research before they go public. And I actively bring these insights to developer communities, enterprises and AI leaders to accelerate AI adoption. This year, I’m also honored to be the co-chair for a NumFocus Code of Conduct Working group, where we ensure that AI is ethical, transparent and accessible.

Lusk: So tell me a little bit more about what got you interested in Gen AI.

Noor: I believe AI isn’t the future, it’s the transformation that’s happening now. My journey started with curiosity in AI, you know, how do you build AI? What goes behind the models? And now I’m the one who’s judging hackathons, evaluating AI innovations, and working with industry leaders. Just last weekend, I was a judge at Voxel51 hackathon, where teams were building AI powered computer vision solutions.

What stood out to me was AI is no longer just for researchers. Real, impactful AI is built by real people solving problems in innovative ways. As IBM champion, I work with prerelease AI models like IBM’s Granite and Watson AI, and that gives me early access to cutting edge innovations for automating workflows, transformational knowledge retrieval with AI search and scaling AI responsibly.

Lusk: So you graduated from the AI Engineering Bootcamp, it was cohort number two I believe about ten months ago, have you been able to put anything that you’ve learned into practice?

Noor: With the strong foundational knowledge base from AI Makerspace, I’ve been applying this in three key areas. The first one is AI for productivity and knowledge management. Recently, I hosted IEEE’s Hour of Power, a session where users learned how to create AI enhanced workflow automation and decision making.

So one of the biggest challenges I saw is in AI turning unstructured information into actionable insights. And the solution we worked through was with retrieval augmented generation, or RAG, to improve knowledge retrieval. The second thing is in AI responsible governance. So just in December of 2024, I gave my first PyData Global talk, that was the missing 78%, where we discussed how biased AI models impact real world applications.

And upcoming is Postgres Conference 2025, where I’ll be presenting how AI can optimize database workflows, which is a huge pain point for businesses that manage massive datasets.

Lusk:So what words of wisdom do you have for people who are considering a move into Gen AI?

Noor:I would say don’t just consume AI, create with AI. The most successful practitioners aren’t just learning. They are building every step of the way. So whether it’s automating a process at work, improving knowledge retrieval, or testing in AI for creativity, use it in a way that solves your problem. One of the key differentiators for me was getting involved with AI communities. My absolute favorite is AI Makerspace, but I also actively contribute with IBM Champions, NumFocus, PyData and Women in Product. These are great places to learn, network, and stay ahead of the curve.

Lusk: Noor, thank you so much for joining me today. Congrats on winning the Transformation of The Week, you are a build, ship, share legend in your own right. Where can people connect with you?

Noor: NoorAftab.com, there you can find all the previous talks, GitHub and interesting projects. Thank you everyone!