What do you do if you're a mid-career professional seeking mentorship in the AI industry?

1. Define your professional objectives in AI. 2. Specify the AI skills you aim to enhance. 3. Decide if you're targeting leadership skills or technical expertise. 4. Identify your interest areas, like machine learning or NLP. 5. Use your goals to search for a mentor with relevant expertise. 6. Ensure your mentor's skills align with your professional aspirations. 7. Prepare to clearly communicate your mentorship expectations. 8. Seek a mentor who can guide you towards your defined goals. 9. Look for a mentorship that offers growth in your areas of interest. 10. Set clear expectations for a productive mentorship relationship.

Identifying your professional goals is the first step in finding the right mentor, especially in the AI field. Determine which specific AI skills you want to develop, whether you're aiming for a leadership position or seeking proficiency in a particular technology, such as machine learning or natural language processing. Knowing your objectives helps you find a mentor whose expertise aligns with your aspirations and allows you to clearly articulate what you seek in the mentorship, laying the foundation for a productive relationship.

-Start by networking within AI-focused groups on platforms like LinkedIn and GitHub. -Attend AI conferences, workshops, and webinars to meet industry experts. -Consider reaching out directly to professionals whose work you admire, offering specific reasons why their guidance would be valuable to you. Many are willing to share insights or might direct you to resources or mentorship programs. Remember, mentorship is a two-way street; think about what you can also bring to the table!

In my experience, attending events demands considerable investment in time and, occasionally, finances. Here a few tips to maximise your return: 1) Choose the right event. While some events cover various AI applications, others are more focused. If you're seeking a mentor, prioritise events that align closely with your industry or the applications you're most interested in. 2) Engage actively in the event's offerings, such as round tables, workshops, and networking opportunities. These settings are excellent for establishing valuable connections or finding a mentor. 3) Always be prepared to share your contact information, whether through Linktree or business cards, and remember to follow up with new contacts after the event.

After identifying potential mentors, the next step is to establish a connection. Write a personalized message that conveys your admiration for their work and clearly expresses your interest in their mentorship. Specify what you aim to learn and how their guidance could benefit your professional growth. To show respect for their time, propose a brief initial meeting or call to discuss the potential for a mentorship relationship. This approach not only demonstrates your seriousness but also respects the mentor's time and contributions.

Its important to remember that you don't need a formal mentor-mentee relationship with people you admire (in the field of AI or outside it). Lets assume you want Andrej Karpathy as your mentor and he is inaccessible due to several reasons. What I would do is the following: - find the numerous youtube videos with interviews, speeches etc. - Get the transcripts of these videos - Feed these transcripts to a custom GPT who can play the role of Nassim as a mentor - Give the GPT key details of your background Voila - you have Andrej on speed dial (or atleast a keystroke away). Of course there will be some GPT tuning that will be needed but for the time being virtual Andrej will help you fill in the gaps till you connect with him in real life.