Evelyn is the inaugural Helsing x ada fellow . In this post, Evelyn shares what she experienced and learned over the course of the fellowship.
The Ada Fellowship is designed to empower change-makers to become drivers of transformation from within their organisations. This part-time program runs alongside participants’ full-time roles, focusing on digital and future skills development while creating valuable cross-industry networks. I applied because I was looking for a space to grow beyond the boundaries of my day-to-day life, and was fortunate to be sponsored by Helsing, which made this opportunity possible.
The topic-du-jour for this Ada Fellowship cohort was, unsurprisingly, AI. As AI technologies rapidly advance, my sense is that many organisations see challenges instead of opportunities and struggle to truly thrive in this new paradigm. Over the past 12 months, through conversations, talks, and workshops on the Ada Fellowship, one thing has become clear: the AI future is now — and organisations that invest in upskilling their employees to effectively integrate AI, manage change, and mitigate risks are far more likely to succeed. In this article, I’ll share highlights from the program.
Cross-Organisational Collaboration: The Ada Future Lab
One of the most valuable takeaways from my fellowship was learning to approach problems with curiosity. I embraced the “How might we” technique to frame challenges constructively, shifting my mindset from finding obstacles and prematurely proposing solutions to exploring possibilities. This reframing helped generate more innovative solutions by encouraging ideation before evaluation — leading to greater creativity in problem-solving.
This mindset shift proved invaluable during the Ada Future Lab — a standout experience where I collaborated with professionals from other organisations to tackle real-world challenges (image above). For three months, our team focused on developing solutions for improving employee engagement in sustainability initiatives. One breakthrough moment came during a user interview when a participant shared that they felt unmotivated to engage in sustainable actions because they believed their efforts had little impact. This insight led us to create a two-pronged solution: a physical activation to raise awareness and a digital AI guide offering personalised suggestions for making sustainable choices while illustrating the compounding impact of individual actions.
Throughout the project, we defined the problem space, brainstormed solutions using newly-learned approaches, conducted user research, and created interactive mockups. This experience was particularly rewarding due to the strong connections I built with my team and the deeper understanding I gained about the challenges and successful integration of AI solutions within large organisations.
The Ada Lovelace Festival: New Utopias
A highlight for many fellows was attending the Ada Lovelace Festival, themed New Utopias. The energy was vibrant, with conversations buzzing around ideas and innovation, and a shared sense of optimism for the new era of AI. The festival encouraged us to imagine the innovations of tomorrow while exploring the evolving dynamics between humans and technology.
One panel discussion, Navigating the Skills Seascape: Upskilling and Reskilling in the Age of Automation , particularly resonated with me . It reinforced that as automation advances, human skills — such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking — will become even more vital. This perspective shifted how I view professional development in the AI era, making me more aware of how skills that cannot be easily automated will shape future leaders.
This emphasis on human-centered values echoed throughout the festival, especially in discussions around the EU AI Act. Referenced across multiple talks and workshops, the Act –the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation — classifies AI systems based on risk levels, with corresponding obligations for high-risk, limited-risk, and unacceptable-risk systems. It underscored the need for thorough risk assessments, strong governance frameworks, and transparency in AI deployments, as early as possible in the development process. A key takeaway for me was that compliance isn’t just about ticking boxes — it presents an opportunity to build trustworthy AI that reflects both ethical principles and organisational values.
Looking ahead
The Ada Fellowship was a rich experience that exposed me to new dimensions of innovation, change, and AI. Through stimulating conversations and sessions, I learned that real innovation doesn’t come from technology alone — it comes from people bold enough to ask better questions, build responsibly, and lead with empathy. So I’ll end with this: How might we harness AI in ways that support both the needs of individuals and the ambitions of forward-thinking organisations?
I would like to thank Ada and Helsing — and in particular all of my mentors and collaborators — for a year of learning, community, and reflection. Thank you!
Evelyn