Diversity Now!
As an introvert, it was overwhelming and yet very empowering to be surrounded by hundreds of extremely talented women from all over the world who had convened at the 100+ Brilliant Women in AI Ethics summit at the Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford on September 16, 2019. The historic significance of this venue, one of the first women’s colleges at Oxford, can’t be understated. The immense energy of this event could almost make one believe that all was well in the world and women couldn’t possibly be underrepresented, given the breadth and depth of clearly visible talent in the room.
But the very next day, I had to sit through a series of manels (men-only panels) at the prestigious AI@Oxford conference, which diminished much of the glow from the previous day’s event. While there were many amazing women who spoke at the conference like Gina Neff, Safiya Noble and one could claim that it just one elite university but research shows that manels are still the norm and despite all the talk, the number of women speakers at conferences continues to be low.
The tech industry has a dismal track record on diversity and despite all the buzz-worthy headlines and high-profile initiatives, the diversity figures at tech companies still haven’t budged. In October of 2018, I chose to focus on the 100 brilliant women working on the ethics of AI because diversity and ethics in AI are NOT separate issues. Any system that excludes voices of women, minorities, and is weaponized against marginalized communities is inherently unethical.
Also, despite all the hype, ethics is hard and unglamorous work. While billions get donated to the development of AI, only a fraction goes towards ethics. Developing AI products adds to the bottom line but urging organizations to do the right thing often means you are slowing things down. In a culture where speed-to-market is everything, being the naysayer doesn’t win you any awards
This is why it is even more imperative that we support the women working hard to save humanity from the potential downsides of AI and making sure that the AI systems being developed are beneficial for ALL humans.
Towards that goal, we have built an online Women in AI Ethics directory to highlight all the brilliant women working in this critical space and have asked a diverse group of industry experts to help us highlight the top 100 women in AI Ethics annually. To nominate yourself or a talented peer, please use this form. All nominations received by October 15th will be considered for inclusion in the top 100 list for 2020.
Many thanks to everyone who supports more representation and recognition of women in AI ethics.
Diversity now!
