“Everyone needs to stop being scared of AI. We need to change this narrative and mindset.”
Amid growing fears about AI becoming more embedded in daily life and being blamed for mass layoffs in the tech industry, Aiza Usman, an Applied AI Engineer at Anthropic, offers a different perspective.
In 2026, Anthropic is no longer just a name in the background of tech circles; it is one of the most closely watched AI safety firms. Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, including Dario and Daniela Amodei, Anthropic was built on the belief that you cannot race toward superintelligence without also racing toward safety.
In a recent conversation with social media influencer and Director of Cloud & AI at Microsoft, Hamzaa Chishti, she spoke about how she built her path into one of the fastest-moving areas of artificial intelligence. She emphasised the importance of moving past fear around AI and instead building a more open, adaptive mindset toward its rapid growth and impact.
During the conversation, she also shared her personal journey, from Pakistan to landing a role as a top AI Engineer, stressing how steady learning and hands-on experience helped her break into the field.
From Pakistan to Anthropic
Like many young students with big ambitions, Aiza left Pakistan to pursue higher studies in the United States. When asked what in her studies or experience helped her qualify for a role at Anthropic as an AI engineer, she explained that it was a combination of strong foundations in computer science and software engineering, along with focused learning during her graduate studies.
She said that while her core CS background gave her the base, it was in grad school that she really started exploring generative AI, large language models, and understanding how transformers work, which played a key role in preparing her for the role.
“And then also, I did my capstone in the application of AI. I worked with a FinTech startup, and I made agents for them. And I think that experience in my grad school really helped me build experience for the right job, which was this one,” she said.
“Stop being scared of AI”
When asked how people studying technical fields like computer science and software engineering should pivot in today’s AI-driven world, she said it’s important to understand that these tools are now becoming part of almost every job, whether in HR or software development. Because of this, the key is to become more adaptable and comfortable using AI tools, as that not only helps in current roles but also makes it easier to figure out future directions and career shifts.
“The faster your adaptability to these tools is, the better you’ll understand and be more comfortable in your jobs.”
For Aiza, Anthropic was not just another tech company. What drew her in was its strong focus on AI safety and responsible development. She explained: “My observations about Anthropic is that I think it’s a very basic foundation for them… AI safety. They want to make sure that while we are accelerating in our advancements of AI, we want to make sure it’s also very safe for humans.”
One of her most direct thoughts is about fear. Instead of treating AI like a threat, she suggests treating it like something to learn from and grow with. In her view, AI is not replacing people overnight, it is changing how work gets done. Curiosity, not fear, is what will help people stay relevant.