Campus

Antti Merilehto, MSc (Econ.) and AI coach

‘The ability to learn is important, but know-how expires fast. Understanding human nature is always in fashion.'
My story Antti Merilehto

‘I believe in versatile and interdisciplinary competence. I think a good leader can create an environment in which people will want to work with him or her.

I was accepted into Helsinki School of Economics in 2006, at age 28. The then-president of the school pointed to a pile of books and said that if you read those, you’ll get your master’s degree, but the most important thing about studies is other students. Learning is an important skill, but knowledge becomes obsolete quickly. Knowledge of human nature is always fashionable.

I wrote my bachelor’s thesis on management and my master’s thesis on international corporate communications. I went to Queen’s University, Canada, as an exchange student. I also took advantage of Aalto’s high-quality exchange universities a second time by completing master’s degree courses at the University of North Carolina in the US. My fellow students came from big corporations, a world that was entirely different from my own.

Management as a subject gives a good grounding for management research and, for example, HR management. The success of a leader is usually measured by the company’s financial success, and for this you can get help by studying accounting and finance. At Aalto, I felt it was important to be taught by people who had been in the world of work and not just in the academic world.

Working as a consultant accidentally led me to the world of information systems. When I started, I knew nothing about artificial intelligence. Now it’s at the centre of what I do. I currently work as Country Manager at Finch Finland. In addition to my day job, I invest in AI companies, spar management groups and give lectures about the possibilities of AI. I have also written a book called Artificial intelligence – A travel guide for executives.

I hope that companies would know how to apply AI to their operations, especially management. AI will not replace our work; instead, it will make it easier and more effective.'

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