Eva Tian

The best career advice I've ever received is to build without permission and think in first principle thinking. Every innovation doesn't happen if you're still thinking within the existing framework. I've learned to think about what assumptions I've held as correct and validate those assumptions that are based on historical practices using first principle thinking. It's something I value and appreciate a lot - thinking about the problem instead of the solution, and verifying the assumptions. And if you identify a problem, just go ahead and figure out an MVP of it without waiting for anyone's permission to build something. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

As a young woman and also as an Asian minority woman in this traditional industry, I would say don't underestimate yourself. Always advocate for the vision in your mind. A lot of times, what I have learned is that you should just speak up in those meetings. If you have something that you feel is compelling and you're passionate about, don't be afraid - just start advocating for yourself, advocating for your idea. Find people who share similar interests within your company, within your community, and work towards it. Don't second-guess yourself, don't hesitate. Just move on and work on things that you believe is right.

Right now, I focus a lot on AI workflow automation. Real estate in general is a little bit backwards and more traditional, so I'm working on ways to make it more efficient through AI. The goal is to help people make more complex decisions while letting AI handle more mundane and administrative tasks. For example, for a house, if we do any contracting work, there will be invoices. Do we need humans to review those invoices, or can we let the system and AI automatically verify the work quality, check inspection photos, and then determine whether this invoice makes sense or should be deflected to human review? That's something I've been working on for the past year and a half.

Especially talking about AI and all the discussions at a societal level, I directly touch products where people can easily get scared about letting AI replace human jobs. A lot of my reflections and what matters to me the most is thinking about how AI can empower human beings instead of generating fear or letting human beings doubt their own value. When we're building AI products, how can we build them more responsibly and in a way that gains trust through gradual rollout instead of forcing an AI solution on humans? How to achieve a state where human and AI are empowering each other and collaborating with each other - that's something that keeps me up at night. I care deeply about human connection, especially in the age of AI. I really feel like human connection is critical in the next era, so I try to do things that could help facilitate human connection in any way.