Profile: Rehgan Avon

Meet Rehgan Avon,
CEO and co-founder of AlignAI

Rehgan Avon was recently named among 11 recipients of the inaugural Ohio Trailblazers Award presented by Verizon, celebrating the women transforming Ohio tech.

As the CEO and co-founder of AlignAI, she is dedicated to helping customers incorporate AI into their policies and procedures, 

Following the award announcement on May 18, Avon joined us for a Q&A interview. We hope you enjoy getting to know her here, and please join us in congratulating her on LinkedIn!

Name: Rehgan Avon

Job: CEO and co-founder of AlignAI

City: Columbus, Ohio

Q: Tell us about your job.

I am the CEO and co-founder of AlignAI. We are helping our customers build, adopt, and govern their policies and procedures for data and AI. I spend most of my days talking to prospects, getting feedback on our product, and ensuring our customers are happy.

Q: How did you get into tech?

I grew up in a fabrication shop around machinery and watched my dad build multiple welding and machining businesses. I was always fascinated by the process of putting something in the world that did not exist before. I studied engineering in college, took my first computer science class my freshman year, and was absolutely hooked. 

Q: What can Ohio do to support and promote women in tech?

There are many initiatives in Ohio that currently support women in technology. We need to ensure those initiatives are fully supported by companies, leaders, and government with funding and exposure. 

Jessica Cohen, State and Federal Regulatory Affairs at Verizon, presents Trailblazer Award to Rehgan Avon, CEO and co-founder of AlignAI on May 18, 2023 at the Ohio TechSummit.

Q: How can people stay up to date on the rapid evolution of AI?

Find reputable individuals to follow who post useful resources. There are many incredible individuals who have been in this space for a long time and understand the nuances of AI. 

Q: What role does data play in the AI world? 

Data is one of the most critical elements of AI. As the adage goes, “garbage in garbage out.” The model is only as good as the data. Machine learning models attempt to accurately model systems, like natural language used in conversations, and leverage data to build that model. If the data used to build a model is biased, the results from the model may also be biased. 

Q: Will AI completely replace a specific job or a category of jobs?

Right now, AI is being used to augment jobs and provide a level of efficiency resulting in increased productivity. Highly repeatable job tasks that are low risk are great use cases to insert AI. AI is getting better at more complex tasks, and in some cases, may significantly change the roles and responsibilities of certain jobs. 

Q: What do you do for fun when you’re not working?

I try to go scuba diving whenever I can and am also picking up the violin again!

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Learn more about Rehgan’s work by connecting with her on LinkedIn.