Brett Bodenburg stands at the intersection of technology and humanity, championing the belief that AI is a resource for us as humans to become better people. His passion for technology and AI sparked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied industrial and systems engineering and first embraced a systems-thinking approach: AI is not meant to displace humans and is instead driven by the pursuit of making things better.
As a data scientist at Netwrix, a global data security company, Brett leads with that philosophy through the foundational pieces of his work: leading the development of more intelligent solutions, utilizing AI internally to be more efficient company-wide, and demonstrating how to use AI within their solutions.
“Just because we’re using AI to make things bigger and better doesn’t mean we’re displacing human talent.”
Brett’s involvement with the AI Community has brought lasting value to Netwrix. Inspired by the MKE Tech Hub’s “You Need an AI Policy” session, hosted with Midpoint Consulting, Brett recognized the importance of AI governance for Netwrix – an area the company hadn’t previously explored. The session provided foundational pieces that guided him to develop and implement Netwrix’s first AI policy, putting them ahead of the curve. Today, Brett credits that session for enabling Netwrix to pivot and innovate quickly, as well as for establishing a strong governance strategy company wide. He also leads an internal monthly meet-up, fostering collaboration and proactive learning by bringing together colleagues and leaders to discuss different AI topics, similar to MKE Tech’s AI Community Forums.
In his day-to-day work, Brett leverages AI as a sparring partner, using it to test ideas, push boundaries, challenge his thinking, and help make well-informed decisions. Looking ahead, Brett is interested in the development of human interactions with agentic systems – a technology that helps carry out tasks on our behalf, ultimately transforming how humans and machines interact beyond a chat bot.
As we all continue to innovate, Brett shares one piece of advice for the AI Community:
“Just as fast as you may feel behind, there are now these tools opening up that enable you to catch up just as fast,” he said. “Start somewhere, don’t feel behind, and let’s build.”
Brett will be leading our next AI Community Forum on building an MCP server and accompanying agent, specifically within the startup space. You’re invited to join us and follow along for this hands-on session on August 28th.