The end of March marks the end of Women’s History Month. And despite the increased focus on women’s issues and their contributions to society throughout the month, the conversation would be incomplete without recognizing how indispensable the success of women – past and present – has been in the tech industry . In particular, women are leading the way every day into a new era of unprecedented global innovation in generative AI.
However, a New York Times article from a few months ago is not on the list of people with the greatest contribution to the current AI landscape. The article has rightly been criticized for reflecting a broader narrative that has long downplayed women’s contributions to technology. This narrative asserts that women’s contributions to AI and technology are secondary; but we know that’s not true. In fact, they play a central role in the innovation and continued development of this field.
For years, women have been challenging the outdated idea that AI development belongs solely to those who code and build algorithms – a field that, while evolving, remains largely dominated by men. Many have done so by leading the charge for responsible AI innovation, centered on ethics and transparency, throughout their careers.
Women like Kay Firth Butterfield, the world’s first chief AI ethics officer; Elham Tabassi of NIST, spearheading initiatives on ethical standards for AI; Miriam Vogel of EqualAI and NAIAC, championing equality in AI; Paula Goldman of Salesforce; and Navrina Singh of Credo AI, who advocate for the responsible use of AI, are just some of the many examples of women leading the way in this field.
Other prominent female figures in technology include Fei-Fei Li of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute, known for her contributions to AI image recognition and her advocacy for inclusive and ethical development of AI; Joy Buolamwini, founder of Algorithmic Justice League, highlighting and mitigating bias within AI systems; DeepMind’s Lila Ibrahim, head of operational strategy behind one of the world’s leading AI research organizations; and Francesca Rossi, Head of Global AI Ethics at IBM®, who is at the forefront of addressing critical issues of AI governance, ethics, accountability and responsible innovation.
These are just a few of the many examples of women leaders in this field. Leaving women out of the debate and media coverage not only neglects the diverse perspectives necessary for responsible innovation, but also fails to recognize the vital role of ethics, governance and consideration of societal implications in the development of AI. It is time for a critical reassessment, one that recognizes that innovation is as much about impact as it is about invention.
In a study conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value, Debra D’Agostino, Managing Director of Thought Leadership at Oxford Economics, reinforces the importance of diverse leadership in the evolution of AI. She emphasizes that women don’t need to be computer science experts to lead AI innovation. The study found that women are already more likely than men to have used AI to generate, edit and summarize content; and 40% say that using generative AI has led to an increase in productivity of more than 10%. Understand and anticipate how AI can best augment the unique needs and capabilities of a business or team is just as crucial like working with the right people in IT to make it happen, D’Agostino said.
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, it is important to recognize that women’s contributions to AI not only pave the way for more equitable technology, but are also crucial to making this possibility a reality, and cope with and mitigate immediate and long-term consequences. risks that AI poses to our society. Their work sets the standards for how we, as a global community, approach integrating AI into our lives.
The future of AI is being written today and women do not just play a secondary role in this story: they are the main characters of the story. As we move forward, it’s important to keep in mind that the true measure of AI’s progress goes beyond its technical capabilities. It’s about how we harness this technology to reflect our collective values, address our shared challenges, and create a world where innovation benefits all of society, not just a privileged few.
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