Hi! I'm Haroon, and I'm deeply passionate about making the future of artificial intelligence (AI) more equitable. I've dedicated my career to this mission by founding AI For Anyone, one of the leading AI literacy nonprofits globally, and on the team of a fast-growing AI observability startup.
I created Future Ready as a way to publicly explore strategies and tools for finding success and fulfillment in a rapidly changing world.
The source of my passion for equity in artificial intelligence, and the motivation behind starting Future Ready, is rooted in my upbringing. I'll explain.
I grew up in a low-income immigrant family of blue-collar workers. My parents are poultry farmers; my uncles and cousins are taxi drivers and convenience store cashiers.
I was lucky enough to be the first person in my family to attend (and graduate from) college and to work in a white-collar job in the corporate world. Ultimately, my education and career led me to become a professional in the AI space.
As I learned more about AI and how it is poised to impact the future of work, I inevitably realized that most people, including my family members, are far from prepared for the monumental challenges (like mass unemployment) that lie ahead. This realization felt like discovering that most people were unaware that they were standing directly on the tracks of a runaway train approaching at full speed.
Right around the time I graduated with my Master's degree, I decided I wanted to do something to bridge the AI knowledge gap between privileged and underprivileged communities. Hence, AI For Anyone was born. Our goal was simple: to teach students, especially those living in underserved communities, about what AI is and the impact it might have on their lives. We ardently continue this work to this day, having reached delivered our material to over 1.5k students in person and over 50k live attendees online since 2018.
My mission also spurred me to join Arthur AI, a company that is creating tools that enable companies to reduce inequities in their AI models by understanding them better. If AI For Anyone is my community-facing effort towards making AI more equitable, Arthur AI is my corporate-facing one.
Although I feel tremendous fulfillment in working on a cause that I care deeply about, I found myself wanting an outlet where I can engage more directly with others who are also motivated to survive and thrive in this changing world.
That's why I started Future Ready. To share the resources and tools that have helped me find some semblance of success in my life and share my point of view on how to best prepare for the more automated world.
The content might include everything from a "Futureproof" series, where I'll share information on what the future of work may look like and tactics for preparing for it, to productivity tips for staying competent and sharp, to health & wellness tips for maintaining physical & mental longevity.
As more and more people face the unknown—and as that unknown becomes increasingly ambiguous—I knew there was no better time to create this outlet.
Thank you for reading and for joining this journey. I couldn't be more excited to get started.