A self-proclaimed ‘creative engineer’ says human ingenuity will stave off AI’s takeover

“Creative engineer” isn’t a common job title in the tech industry. 

But Jaylen Sanders, full stack engineer at Comcast, prefers to call himself one. 

To the Philly native, creativity in tech looks like pitching new ideas to his managers that are both technically interesting and beneficial to the customer, he said on Technical.ly Speaking, a monthly segment on WURD Radio’s “Reality Check,” hosted by Tonya Pendleton. For example, pitching an application that lets users buy things online from their TV. 

“An idea that I’m hooked on is that creativity is definitely shaping the future of technology,” Sanders said. “I blend product, innovation and engineering into some of the experiences that I deliver.” 

Growing up, Sanders’s two dream jobs were becoming a spy or a professional football player. 

He identified as an athlete, but he was also interested in tech. He watched a lot of spy movies, fascinated by the cool gadgets they had. It inspired his tech journey because those spy tools made tech look like a way to make imagination into reality, he said. 

From then on, Sanders decided it was the path he wanted to take. The hobby evolved into an interest in engineering and science, then pursuing a computer science degree at Hampton University in Virginia before Sanders founded his own tech marketplace company, Trained To Glory. 

“The key skill that I see for technologists in the 21st century is creativity,” the 2024 RealLIST Engineer said. “We’re gonna need to be able to work alongside technology or alongside AI.” 

Diversity, and keeping tech cool, will lead the future workforce

Diverse communities bring a natural creativity to the tech world, Sanders said. That perspective will be valuable to the future of tech as skills become more automated because creativity can only come from humans.

Sanders coleads the BENgineers, the employee network for Black engineers at Comcast. The group talks to people in the community about technology to make the tech industry seem more accessible. 

The goal: To change people’s stereotypical ideas of who a technologist is. Creating diverse communities in tech combines voices to create a more equal impact, he said. 

Making tech seem cool will help encourage more young people to get involved and pursue these paths. Encouraging young people to be creative and learn digital skills will further that mission. 

“The pipelines are developing,” Sanders said. “We need time for them to continue to mature.”  

Listen to the full segment to learn more about Jaylen Sanders’s career journey. 

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