The “hidden figures” of AI: Women shaping a new era of ethical innovation

The
end
of
March
marks
the
conclusion
of
Women’s
History
Month.
And
despite
the
increased
focus
on
women’s
issues
and
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
toward
a
new
era
of
unprecedented
global
innovation
in
the
field
of
generative
AI.

However, a
New
York
Times
piece
that
came
out
a
few
months
ago
failed
on
its
list
of
people
with
the
biggest
contribution
in
the
current
AI
landscape.
The
piece
rightly
received
criticism
for
reflecting
a
broader
narrative
that
has
long
minimized
the
contributions
of
women
in
technology.
That
narrative
says
the
contributions
of
women
in
AI
and
technology
are
peripheral;
but
we
know
this
isn’t
true.
In
fact,
they
are
central
to
the
innovation
and
continued
development
of
this
field.

Women
have
been
challenging
the
outdated
notion
that
AI
development
solely
belongs
to
those
who
code
and
construct
algorithms—a
field
that,
while
shifting,
remains
significantly
male-dominated—for
years.
Many
have
been
doing
this
by
leading
the
charge
on
responsible
AI
innovation,
centered
on
ethics
and
transparency,
throughout
their
entire
careers.

Women
like
Kay
Firth
Butterfield,
the
world’s
first
Chief
AI
Ethics
Officer;
Elham
Tabassi
from
NIST,
spearheading
initiatives
on
ethical
AI
standards;
Miriam
Vogel
from
EqualAI
and
NAIAC,
championing
AI
equality;
Paula
Goldman
from
Salesforce;
and
Navrina
Singh
from
Credo
AI,
advocating
for
responsible
AI
use
are
just
a
few
of
the
many
examples
of
women
leading
the
way
in
this
space.

Other
prominent
women
figures
in
tech
include
Fei-Fei
Li
from
Stanford’s
Human-Centered
AI
Institute,
renowned
for
her
contributions
to
AI
image
recognition
and
her
advocacy
for
inclusive
and
ethical
AI
development;
Joy
Buolamwini,
the
founder
of
Algorithmic
Justice
League,
highlighting
and
mitigating
biases
within
AI
systems;
Lila
Ibrahim
from
DeepMind,
responsible
for
operational
strategy
behind
one
of
the
world’s
leading
AI
research
organizations;
and
Francesca
Rossi,
leading
Global
AI
Ethics
at
IBM®,
who
stands
at
the
forefront
of
addressing
critical
AI
governance,
ethics,
responsibility
and
responsible
innovation
matters.

These
are
just
a
few
of
the
many,
many
examples
of
women
leading
in
this
field.
Leaving
women
out
of
the
conversation
and
coverage
not
only
overlooks
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
reevaluation,
one
that
acknowledges
innovation
is
as
much
about
its
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
AI’s
evolution.
She
highlights
how
women
don’t
need
to
be
IT
experts
to
lead
AI
innovation.
The
study
revealed
that
women
are
already
more
likely
than
men
to
have
used
AI
to
generate,
edit
and
summarize
content;
and
40
percent
say
using
generative
AI
has
resulted
in
a
greater
than
10
percent
increase
in
productivity.
Understanding
and
anticipating
how
AI
can
best
augment
the
unique
needs
and
capabilities
of
a
business
or
team

is
as
crucial
as
working
with
the
right
people
in
IT
to
make
it
happen,
D’
Agostino
said.

As
Women’s
History
Month
comes
to
an
end,
it’s
important
to
acknowledge
how
the
contributions
of
women
in
AI
are
not
just
paving
the
way
for
more
equitable
technology,
but
are
also
crucial
in
realizing
the
possibility,
and
confronting
and
mitigating
the
immediate
and
long-term
risks
that
AI
poses
to
our
society.
Their
work
is
setting
the
standards
for
how
we,
as
a
global
community,
approach
the
integration
of
AI
into
our
lives.

The
future
of
AI
is
being
written
today
and
women
are
not
just
supporting
roles
in
that
narrative—they
are
leading
characters
in
the
story.
As
we
forge
ahead,
it’s
important
to
remember
that
the
true
measure
of
AI’s
advancement
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
the
privileged
few.