Emily Katherine Dawson: “My goal is to make AI understandable for everyone”

Emily Katherine Dawson is a name that we are starting to hear regularly when talking about artificial intelligence. Born and raised in Austin, Emily is not the typical AI expert. She’s a journalist, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the kind of person who can explain neural networks while comparing them to a game of charades. We caught up with her in between lectures to chat about what drives her, what worries her, and why she believes AI doesn’t have to be complicated.

• Let’s start simple—how do you explain what you do to someone who’s not into tech at all?

Emily: I usually say that I teach and write about how machines learn things the way we do, but faster and with fewer snacking breaks. That usually gets a laugh and opens the door to more serious conversations.

• You have a journalism degree and a PhD in engineering. That’s quite the combo. How did that happen?

Emily: It wasn’t something I planned beforehand. I love telling stories, so studying journalism was an easy choice. Then, I started covering tech and I realized that I wanted to understand what was under the hood. One thing led to another, and here we are: I can write in a newspaper about code.

• You’ve worked for IBM, Alphabet, and recently you made the leap to teaching. Which hat do you enjoy wearing the most?

Emily: Honestly? The professor one. It might be because it’s a novelty for me, but so far, nothing beats seeing a student going from “What is AI?” to “Let me show you what I built”.

• You’ve said, “My goal is to make AI understandable for everyone.” Why is that so important to you?

Emily: Because we can’t keep AI just for scientists any longer. It’s already in your phone and soon it will be a part of your job. Thus, if people don’t understand it, they can’t question it, control it, or benefit from it fully. So yeah, my goal is to make AI understandable for everyone, not just people like me.

• What’s the biggest misconception people have about AI?

Emily: That it’s going to take the world tomorrow… I wish (chuckles). It’s powerful, yes, but it’s not magic. It’s still human-coded, with all our flaws baked right in.

• Any funny or weird moment during your time at Alphabet?

Emily: We did a brainstorming session once, and someone trained an AI to generate weird startup names. “PuppyCoin” and “Quantum Broccoli” are still inside jokes among a few of us.

• You are a journalist, so you know how to write properly. Have you ever thought about writing a book at some point?

Emily: Absolutely! I already have a few titles bouncing around in my head. I want to write something that doesn’t just sit on a tech shelf but ends up in someone’s kitchen or backpack. Something that makes AI feel like part of the real world, not just sci-fi. Check my Instagram, I’ll announce it whenever I have something ready!

• You speak Spanish fluently. Has that helped in your career?

Emily: Of course. It opens doors, especially when you’re trying to explain complex stuff in human terms to broader audiences. Tech needs to be multilingual.

• What’s one AI tool you use in your personal life and genuinely love?

Emily: Honestly? A smart calendar that reschedules stuff when I oversleep. It’s the little things.

• Do you think journalists are keeping up with AI fast enough?

Emily: Some of my colleagues are doing a great job… but many others are overselling it or catastrophizing it. We need more nuance, more fact-checking, and fewer apocalypse headlines.

• If you could change one thing about how AI is developed today, what would it be?

Emily: Ethos should be mandatory in every part of the development cycle, not just an afterthought or a PR strategy.

• Any advice for people who feel intimidated by AI?

Emily: Don’t panic and just give it a try. If you’ve ever trained a dog or taught a kid something, you already understand the basics of how AI learns… and you are used to frustration! You’re smarter than you think, everything is going to be alright.

• And finally, what’s next for Emily Katherine Dawson?
  

Emily: Another lesson, I guess… No, seriously, I would love to write a podcast that mixes storytelling and AI explainer content.