In the EY AI Lab, I work at the intersection of people and technology. I believe that progress starts with people who dare to look at what is normal again. The questioners. The crossthinkers. The colleagues who say: is this true, can this be smarter, why do we do this like this. In a field where developments follow each other rapidly, these are the voices that provide direction. No day in the AI Lab is the same. Every week brings new customers, fresh ideas and parallel processes in which we really implement AI solutions in organizations. The work is dynamic and people-oriented; every day you feel how technology and organizational change intersect.

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AI feels abstract to many people, but the impact is actually very concrete. For me, that always starts with people. What takes time, what chafes, what makes work difficult. Only then does technology come into the picture. What I like most is the moment when processes suddenly run more smoothly, where work literally becomes lighter and teams can decide faster and better. AI is then not a complicated tool, but a capability that becomes part of how people work. You don't recognize the best solutions as AI. They feel natural. In our lab, we also let organizations actually experience AI. No one goes out with just slides. We build POCs, develop agents, or let participants create their own AI prototype. That experience makes the difference. Practice instead of theory.

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams

I work with almost all disciplines at EY. Cybersecurity, business transformation, people consulting, engineering. For each customer, we put together a new team where we combine expertise and understand problems together. That makes my work extremely educational: you see a challenge from many perspectives at the same time. Facilitation is essential here. I listen to what is being said and especially what is not being said. I analyse where there are bottlenecks, ask the sharp questions, draw up processes and translate everything into a solution that is both technically correct and human. As a consultant, you combine your technical knowledge with your understanding of organizational behavior.

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We have a physical place in Amsterdam where people can discover, build and experiment. An environment that feels safe, where you can ask, try and investigate anything. We use formats ranging from engineering sprints to strategic explorations. For each issue, we choose the appropriate approach. EY's values are clearly felt in this work. We want to know how AI solves real challenges and how we can make a responsible impact. Transparency, reliability and social value are always leading. If you want to build on AI, you need to be able to rely on it.

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I get energy from people. From customers, from teams within EY, from the conversations that arise when AI triggers something. Every week feels different and that's exactly what makes this work inspiring. In particular, the past year has taught me that a fresh perspective is incredibly valuable. A touch of naivety, curiosity, sharp questions, unexpected ideas. That's exactly what organizations need to keep up. I am proud to be able to make technology understandable. That customers feel they don't need to be experts; that's exactly what I do. Their role is to share their challenges. My role is to turn those challenges into something that works.

The best moment in a PoC is when someone says: this can just solve my problem, when can we implement it. And teams often surprise me. The biggest smile comes when restraint turns to enthusiasm.