3 women in AI who are helping bridge the gender equity gap
April 20, 2022
We need more women in AI to make better AI. AI reflects the quality of the data that is used to train it and the perspectives of those that build the system.
The gist:
Here are three women in AI who are working to address gender equity in the technology's development.
Karine Perset heads “the AI Unit of the OECD Division for Digital Economy Policy. She oversees the OECD.AI Policy Observatory and OECD.AI Network of Experts (ONE AI), as well as the newly forming OECD Working Party on AI Governance (AIGO). Perset focuses on opportunities and challenges that AI raises for public policy, on policies to help implement the OECD AI Principles and on trends in AI development.”
Why do we need more women in AI?
More women participating in the development of AI and related fields would mean less bias built into data, algorithms and other AI components. Systems that judge how employees interact with customers might rank men higher if the standards are based on traits like assertiveness or confidence that men have been traditionally taught to adopt. For example, gender imbalance in the AI workforce led to gender biases in multiple AI systems, such as Amazon’s AI-based recruitment tool and Google Translate.
Dr Brandeis Marshall “teaches, speaks, and writes about the impact of data practices on technology and society. Through her DataedX Group organization, she guides current tech workers in building data equity skills.”
Why do we need more women in AI?
“Women account for about 50% of the global population, yet account for 26% of the data and AI workforce. Most AI-based products don't consider women's needs or address issues concerning women. This imbalance perpetuates disparities and inequities that support a healthy digital society…Women being in AI, contributing to AI, leading AI initiatives and pioneering critiques of AI is what will make our society better and stronger.”
Sunita Grote leads the Ventures team within UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and co-founded its Venture Fund that provides seed funding in fiat and crypto currencies – the first in the UN system. She steers UNICEF's co-leadership of the Digital Public Goods Alliance, a network of partners who collectively contribute to the discovery, development, and deployment of open-source digital public goods…and has a background in innovative financing.
Why do we need more women in AI?
AI solutions and the talent that develops them both face a significant diversity challenge. The development of AI solutions is shaped despite a stark talent gap that exists across geographies and gender; as well as the data and technology gap that still leaves half of the world’s population disconnected from the internet – most of which are women and girls. In places where data is produced, it is often biased and not representative. We need women — their voices and their needs — reflected in the processes and inputs that build AI-based systems and solutions, so that they can start better serving and responding to half of humanity’s needs and interests.
She points to these successful examples a to what is possible and what there should be more of:
We have seen this bring success through solutions like Oky, an open-source mobile period tracker and menstruation education application. The app was co-created with girls, enabling the team to bridge gender digital gaps.
And when asked what advice she would give to women wanting to get into AI?
I don’t believe that women entering the AI space need advice – but rather that we all need to change the systems women are entering.
Connect with the World Economic Forum post here.