Discovering the Intern Experience at ADVANCE.AI

At ADVANCE.AI, we pride ourselves on not only driving technological innovation, especially in the field of AI, but also nurturing the next generation of leaders in the tech industry. Initiated and led by our HR team, ADVANCE.AI's internship programme is designed to offer an enriching experience that combines hands-on learning with professional development. This summer, the Singapore office had the pleasure of onboarding five energetic and creative interns from diverse courses, supporting different functions within our organisation.

In this Life@ADVANCE.AI edition, we delve into their internship life, showcasing the exciting challenges they've tackled and the invaluable skills they've gained. By sharing their experience, we hope to inspire future interns to embark on their journey with us.

(Editor's note: Big credit to our marketing intern Yiyi HAN who planned and put together the interviews and article!)

Q: Hi guys! Introduce yourselves please!

Q: What made you choose to intern at ADVANCE.AI?

Charlotte Zhu : I have always been interested in product management and previously worked with a dating app startup. This internship provides a unique opportunity for me to explore PM roles in a B2B and AI-related environment.

Shane Mion : I chose ADVANCE.AI for multiple reasons — an interest in product management, the chance to work in an established but dynamic startup, and the opportunity to improve my Mandarin over the summer!

Jun Heng Chew : Having interned at a gaming company, I wanted to diversify my experience and understand the finance industry in Singapore. I found this as a great learning opportunity.

Terence Lim : The Business Analytics Intern role perfectly aligns with my learning aspirations. It allows me to build my own dashboards and understand product manager needs.

Yiyi HAN : AI intrigues me due to its relevance and intersection with my major somehow. Also, I wish to expose myself to different industries to figure out my preferred career path, and tech companies are a good place to start.

Q: Can you share any interesting anecdote from your experience in ADVANCE.AI?

Jun Heng: Interesting things happen all the time! I get to learn something new every day, like cloud deployment and design patterns. It's also very fun to be able to use AChat (our internal GPT Bot) and AI tools at work, and in turn understanding how AI has changed the core of some work streams within organisations :P

Yiyi: One interesting fact that always intrigues me is that I am currently studying the exactly the same major and minor combination as my supervisor Jiazi Xu did in her university years! We regularly engage in great discussions and she shares valuable work experiences from her own journey.

Q: What about some challenges you encountered?

Charlotte: To navigate the complexities of customer support, I must familiarise myself with a range of products and engage with the relevant teams. The biggest challenge in this process is managing expectations from different stakeholders, both within and outside of the organisation.

Shane: I've had the fun challenge of learning new industry specific terminology in both English and Chinese. It's made the onboarding process a lot more interesting as I get to learn new vocabulary at (kind of) twice the rate!

Yiyi: Sometimes I don't understand the concepts/terms because I don't study business or CS at school! But I see this as a great opportunity for learning. Now I can say I have a better understanding of some key concepts and business terms for the tech industry, after the internship.

Q: What is your biggest gain/learning from this internship so far?

Charlotte: Understanding how an AI startup operates behind the scene! Working closely with algorithm engineers has been a unique learning experience. We get to see how they handle problems on a daily basis.

Jun Heng: I learnt how an engineering team handles an existing "brownfield" product, e.g. project deadlines, workflows, and handling a feedback loop between the development team and existing clients.

Terence: I learnt what data is being pulled from our company's database into Superset and had the opportunity to conduct my own requirements gathering with product managers to understand their data needs

Yiyi: I learnt about key considerations in real-life marketing scenarios, especially in B2B/SaaS marketing. These are things I was not aware of in school learning, such as the branding guidelines, due diligence for copyright issues, etc.

Q: What do you think of the activities organised for interns under this programme?

Shane: The business immersion sessions are a great way to get interns onboarded and familiar with the company's goals and functions. Meeting new people and interns also helps me learn more about life in Singapore!

Jun Heng: The business immersion sessions with leaders within the company helped me gain a deeper understanding of the financial services industry and role ADVANCE.AI is playing. This was what drew me to the company in the first place — we normally wouldn't get such opportunities to learn.

Terence: Through hosting townhall and organising team building activities, we can work on our soft skills, like interpersonal and organisational skills. We had the chance to be exposed to different departments (such as the HR team) even if we are not interning in those departments.

Yiyi: I love the immersive experience of AI and the fintech industry! During the AIGC learning sessions, I was able to talk to AI experts, from whom I have also learnt about the importance of innovation and efficiency. They shared a lot of real-life use cases that made me realise the transformative potential of AI in streamlining operations and cutting costs.

Q: What about the relationships you've built with your colleagues and supervisors?

Charlotte: My team is incredibly supportive. We often grab boba tea during lunch breaks as a treat.

Jun Heng: Over the past months, my supervisor and my colleagues are always there to guide me when I have doubts. We also went to the cinema for a team bonding event recently!

Terence: The people I have worked with were of great help and support with my project. My supervisor and the product pricing manager have been constantly checking in on me to make sure I was coping well.

Join our internship programme at ADVANCE.AI

For the company

Our internship programme builds a pipeline of future talent by providing robust training and nurturing high-potential talent. Welcoming interns with diverse backgrounds, we reinforce our commitment to creativity, problem-solving, and inclusive growth.

For the interns

Interns at ADVANCE.AI enhance their skill sets, preparing them for roles within our company or the larger industry. Our cross-departmental collaborations and targeted business immersion sessions foster professional growth and networking opportunities.

For society

Aligned with our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, our programme supports community engagement and development, offering meaningful experiences for interns that benefit broader society.

What do we offer?

1. Business immersion

To help interns deepen their understanding of business operations and our partner companies, we arrange introductions by leaders from the three companies under Advance Intelligence Group: ADVANCE.AI, Atome and Ginee. Interns will learn about the products, internal structures, and future prospects of each company.

2. AIGC and technology learning sessions

As an AI-focused company, we provide interns with opportunities to meet our experts and gain insights into real-life AI applications. Interns will see how AI tools enhance our work, products, and client support. They will then present their knowledge and experience to company leaders, showcasing their understanding and engaging with fintech experts

3. Employee engagement

To boost interns' engagement with the team, they are invited to host town hall activities and organise teambuilding events. This involvement allows them to foster stronger connections within the team and develop their organisational and leadership skills.

Ready to embark on your tech career? Contact us!

Check out our current open roles at https://hubs.ly/Q010_r3D0 or send your resumes to aai.hr@advancegroup.com; we will reach out to you for suitable positions.