MEDIJATOR Hajdi Ćenan

Guest Hajdi ĆenanHosted by Srđan ŠimacMay 3, 2026

Hajdi Ćenan

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Hajdi Ćenan describes herself as a "non-tech person in the tech world," a label that immediately sharpens the focus on her current role as co-founder and CEO of Airth, an AI startup. After a career spanning media and digital marketing, she made a deliberate pivot into artificial intelligence, not through a grand, lifelong plan, but by recognizing a nascent technological wave. Her path exemplifies how core business acumen, rather than a specific technical background, can position a leader at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry. This conversation delves into the often-misunderstood world of AI, demystifying its origins and current capabilities. Ćenan clarifies the distinctions between artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning, explaining how these concepts have matured from academic theories into pervasive forces in our daily lives. Readers will leave with a clearer understanding of AI's practical implications and a refreshed perspective on career adaptability in a landscape of constant change.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Hajdi Ćenan, a self-described "non-tech person in the tech world," leads an AI startup after careers in media and digital marketing. Her experience shows that a deep technical background is less crucial for leading a cutting-edge company than the ability to spot emerging trends and pivot decisively.

Her move into AI wasn't a gradual shift, but a conscious "bet" made with her business partner, Davor Runji, on the technology's future impact. When a clear vision for a new venture emerges, full commitment—even selling an established agency—can be the necessary step to seize the opportunity.

Artificial intelligence isn't a recent invention; its core concept dates back to the 1950s, when scientists first asked, "why shouldn't we let machines do the work instead of people?" The seventy-year gap between that initial idea and AI's current mainstream presence shows that truly disruptive technologies often take generations to mature and integrate into daily life.

AI experienced "seven winters," periods of stagnation and renewed interest, before its current boom. This cyclical development underscores that technological progress is rarely linear, often requiring multiple generations of advancements and setbacks before widespread adoption.

The real acceleration of AI came not from the initial concept, but from the convergence of two factors: the explosion of digital data and the processing power to analyze it. Early attempts to program every step gave way to machines learning from data, but only with modern computing could this learning scale to a point of widespread utility.

When presented with a massive data table, a human struggles to find patterns, but a machine can instantly identify relationships, saying, "Aha, this and this and this. That's it." The true power of AI lies in its ability to reveal insights and connections that are simply beyond the scope of human cognitive capacity.

The common fear that AI will replace human warmth and empathy often conflates current capabilities with "general artificial intelligence," the human-like machines of science fiction. Today's AI is specific and task-oriented, a far cry from the comprehensive, emotional intelligence portrayed in popular culture.

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