This post was originally published on this site
Early in her career, Prerna Ajmera founded a start-up that built digital libraries of extinct languages—creating connections with scholars around the world, two decades before remote collaboration was a common reality. It was an experience that was both grounding and inspirational, she says.
“It taught me that innovation needs to be truly ahead of the curve—and it needs to solve real-world problems,” says Ajmera, general manager, HR digital strategy & innovation, Microsoft, and one of this year’s HR’s Rising Stars.
In her 19 years at the tech giant, Ajmera has leaned on those early-career lessons alongside her training as an architect—which helps her appreciate the need for aesthetically pleasing, yet functional, experiences—to center both user experience and operational effectiveness.
“Bringing joy and utility together in anything I do is inherent,” she says.
On the leading edge of AI innovation
Those aims were central to Ajmera’s work to develop and roll out an AI-powered Employee Self-Service Agent that leverages Microsoft Copilot within the company’s Dynamics 365 Customer Service system (D365).
Ajmera says the real-world problem was clear: Employees were navigating more than 70 HR tools, while HR teams were inundated with queries that often led to response times of up to
