To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch has been publishing a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution.

Raji Arasu, the CTO of Autodesk, said that she’s been using AI for “multiple decades” to solve software-related challenges.

“When traditional software development approaches — whether deterministic, procedural, or other conventional methods — have struggled to address complex problems, I’ve always turned to AI as a solution, particularly for handling unstructured data,” Arasu told TechCrunch in an interview.

Arasu has had a long career in tech. In 1993, she joined Oracle as an engineering technical lead. A few years later, she was hired as a senior manager at eBay, where she worked her way up to the role of VP of technology. After tenures at StubHub and Intuit, Arasu accepted an offer at Audodesk, where she’s remained for the past four years.

Many of these opportunities were made possible by a strong professional support network, Arasu said. She’s tried to help others succeed in turn by becoming vocal about supporting women in tech and driving DEI initiatives, particularly for boards of directors.

“Early in my career, I was fortunate to have a diverse set of mentors who played a crucial role in shaping my confidence, boldly voicing my perspectives and opinions, advocating for myself, and ensuring I had a seat at the table,” Arasu said. “Ensuring that women, people of color, and individuals with diverse backgrounds are part of strategic decision-making is vital.”

In her various jobs throughout the years, Arasu said that she’s had a front-row seat to exciting developments in the AI space. For example, at Autodesk, she’s overseen the company’s R&D org, which has explored AI applications in areas like construction automation, 3D modeling, and engineering design.

“Advances in computing power, generative AI, and the domain-specific fine-tuning of large models have shattered the boundaries of research labs and brought these technologies into the real world,” she said. “I’m captivated by the speed at which this AI revolution is poised to transform industries across the board.”

While exciting, AI comes with risks, Arasu acknowledged. AI systems often reflect the biases and assumptions of their creators, she said, and there are significant concerns around data privacy, transparency, and data practices that need to be addressed.

Arasu is a proponent of “close collaboration” between industry and government to create “well-informed” AI policies that begin to address these risks. But she cautioned that strong policy can only emerge from multidisciplinary and diverse collaborative groups.

“Unlike past revolutions, there is now a clear recognition that inclusive participation — especially by women — is essential for achieving fairer, more innovative outcomes in AI and other emerging technologies,” Arasu said. “As AI reshapes industries like healthcare, education, and finance, women’s involvement ensures the technology reflects a broader range of human experiences.”

Independent of regulation, when it comes to building AI responsibly, Arasu believes companies must ensure that their systems are clear about how they function, so that users can trust — or at least not mistrust — decisions they make. This starts, she said, with understanding customers’ concerns about their data, putting practices in place to protect proprietary and personal information, and maintaining compliance with global policies. 

“Ethical design should guide the development process,” Arasu said, “incorporating diverse perspectives and creating governance frameworks to reduce bias and manage risks. Continuous monitoring and accountability are essential, ensuring that AI systems work as intended, and addressing issues promptly. Finally, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration centered around the customer helps ensure AI serves the common good, navigating risks and maximizing its benefits for society.”