Celebrating the women of IBM AI Ethics

For
more
than
100
years,
IBM’s
founding
principles
have
inspired
efforts
to
promote
equality,
fairness
and
inclusion
in
the
workplace
and
society.
The
company
has
lived
the
value
of
“respect
for
the
individual”
by
championing
employment
practices
that
reward
ability
over
identity
and
that
make
work
more
attainable
for
all.

In
1935,
approximately
twenty
years
after
IBM
was
founded,
it
began
hiring
women
into
professional
roles.
Three
decades
before
the
US
Equal
Pay
Act
of
1963,
IBM’s
CEO,
Thomas
J.
Watson
Sr.,
stated,

“Men
and
women
will
do
the
same
kind
of
work
for
equal
pay.
They
will
have
the
same
treatment,
the
same
responsibilities,
and
the
same
opportunities
for
advancement.”

Through
the
years,
many
women
have
held
leadership
roles
at
IBM,
including
former
CEO,
Ginni
Rometty.
Women
have
played
key
roles
in
initiatives
throughout
the
organization,
including
the
rise
of
AI.

“Women
are
as
capable
as
anybody
else
to
contribute
to
the
technical
development
of
AI,
and
they
also
care
deeply
about
the
impact
of
AI
on
people
and
society.
This
combination
is
exactly
what
we
need
now,
to
design
and
build
a
future
with
purpose,
where
technology
supports
human
values
rather
than
the
opposite.
An
increased
presence
of
women
in
AI
will
also
make
it
fairer
and
more
inclusive.
A
multi-disciplinary
approach
to
AI
education
is
fundamental
to
help
women
understand
that
this
is
a
great
match
for
their
talent
and
passion.” 
-Francesca
Rossi,
IBM
Fellow,
AI
Ethics
Global
Leader,
IBM
Research

As
IBM
continued
to
research
and
develop
AI,
it
became
clear
that
along
with
the
positive
aspects
of
the
technology,
there
were
also
potential
issues
that
needed
attention.
“AI
will
have
a
transformative
impact
on
everyday
life,
business
and
more.
As
with
other
technologies,
there
are
ethical
components
that
must
be
followed
to
build
systems
based
on
trust,”
says
Justina
Nixon-Saintil,
Chief
Impact
Officer
and
AI
Ethics
Board
member
at
IBM.
“In
our
historical
experience
at
IBM,
we
know
women
play
a
fundamental
role
in
shaping
the
future.
That’s
why
two
women
IBMers
led
the
way
when
we
established
our
AI
Ethics
Board,
and
that’s
why
we
are
using
our
technology
and
expertise
to
empower
more
girls
and
women
in
ethical
AI,
among
many
other
areas.”

Since
2019,
the
AI
Ethics
Board
has
been
co-chaired
by
two
leaders:
Christina
Montgomery
(Vice
President,
Chief
Privacy
and
Trust
Officer)
and
Francesca
Rossi
(IBM
Fellow,
and
AI
Ethics
Global
Leader).
Their
unique
backgrounds
and
views
have
helped
the
Board
instill
governance
and
a
culture
of
ethical
and
responsible
technology
throughout
IBM. 

The
AI
Ethics
Board
is
comprised
of
leaders
from
across
the
company,
including
many
esteemed
women
leaders.
Supporting
the
work
of
the
AI
Ethics
Board
and
its
members
are
its
AI
Ethics
Focal
Points.
IBM
is
incredibly
fortunate
to
have
many
women
in
leadership
at
this
level
as
well.

Along
with
establishing
policies
and
practices
around
AI
ethics,
the
AI
Ethics
Board
sponsors
workstreams,
which
bring
together
experts
from
across
the
business
to
address
key
business
challenges,
questions
and
opportunities.
These
workstreams
often
include
women
as
executive
sponsors.

A
team
of
female
leaders
from
the
AI
Ethics
Board
and
IBM’s
AI
Ethics
Project
Office
drew
on
experts
from
across
IBM
to
publish
this

point
of
view
on
foundation
models.
They
also
collaborated
with
IBM
Research
and
watsonx.governance™,
led
by
Heather
Gentile,
Director
of
watsonx.governance
Product
Management
and
AI
Ethics
Focal
Point.
Together,
they
developed
the

AI
risk
atlas,
which
helps
readers
better
understand
the
risks
of
working
with
generative
AI,
foundation
models
and
machine
learning
models.

“In
this
unprecedented
new
era
of
global
AI
innovation,
women
are
leading
the
charge
towards
acknowledging
that
the
importance
of
innovation
is
as
much
about
its
impact
as
it
is
about
invention.
This
crucial
work
in
confronting
and
mitigating
the
immediate
and
long-term
risks
that
AI
poses
to
our
society
is
setting
the
standards
for
how
we,
as
a
global
community,
approach
the
integration
of
AI
into
our
lives.”
-Christina
Montgomery,
IBM
Chief
Privacy
&
Trust
Officer

For
six
years
in
a
row,
IBM
has
been
listed
as
one
of
the

World’s
Most
Ethical
Companies
by
Ethisphere.
This
recognition
reflects
IBM’s
commitment
to
a
strong
governance
structure
and
a
culture
of
ethics,
embodied
in
its
AI
Ethics
Board
and
AI
Ethics
Focal
Points.
It
also
honors
the
strong
women
leading
IBM
forward.

Learn
more
about
AI
Ethics
at
IBM

Read
more
about
women
in
technology
at
IBM

Read
the
IBV
study
on
women
forging
the
future
of
AI

Learn
more
about
IBM
creating
an
inclusive
culture