I wouldlike to highlight today a spectacular and really exceptional initiative that will take place online on December 3-5 2020: the ” 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ Summit “, organized by Lighthouse3 and its CEO, Mia Shah-Dand.
Just save the date and join here for these inspiring 3 days with activists, social scientists, data scientists, artists, researchers, policy makers, anthropologists, and other brilliant women that will come together to show us how diversity in AI leads to more ethical AI.
This is not at all a sponsored article but only my willingness and that of the entire IPFConline Team, to support this event which we find very important.
Thanks to Mia Shah-Dand and Lighthouse3!
This global community will celebrate the amazing women in this space and unveil the “100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics” list for 2021. This event will highlight unknown voices and hidden figures working hard to save humanity from the dark side of AI.
The stellar lineup of speakers this year includes Meredith Whittaker, Alex Hanna, Tawana Petty, Heather Dowdy, Rachel Kuo and many others. More details on the agenda and speaker list there.
Nearly 40% of the speakers are Black women, 8% are Indigenous, and over 55% are Women of Color (WoC). 20% of speakers are over 40years old while over 30% are from non-US regions. Other dimensions of diversity are also tracked to make sure to be inclusive of women with disabilities and those from the LGBT+ community. Women in AI Ethics™ is emphatically trans-inclusive.
The very first 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ list was published by Mia Shah-Dand, CEO of Lighthouse3, in 2018. Since then, this list has been published annually. Dand shares the powerful principle on which this initiative is built:
“Any technology that excludes women and marginalized groups is unethical. We need to build AI that is beneficial for all of humanity, not just the privileged and the powerful.”
The main themes for this year are:
– Activism/Advocacy in AI,
– Building Inclusive & Diverse AI,
– WAIE around the World,
– and Career Paths in AI Ethics.
Here are some speaker highlights:
The event will kick off on Dec 3rd with a Fireside Chat with the visionary social justice organizer, youth advocate, and author Tawana Petty on ‘Building a World Without Mass Surveillance’. Join this powerful discussion on why we need to rein in surveillance technologies and remedies for preventing harms to Black and brown communities from these pervasive technologies.
Day 2 will start with a not-to-be-missed fireside chat with the fierce Meredith Whittaker who was the leading force behind the “Time is Up’ walk out at Google to stop worker abuse at the world’s leading tech giant and is continuing her fight for worker rights to ensure their voices are not drowned out by the powerful forces in tech. The audience will get to hear first-hand what inspired her to take action, why we should all care about workers’ rights, and learn how we can collectively mobilize for meaningful lasting change.
Diversity comes in many forms, and gender identity is a key part of it. Alex Hanna, Sr. Research Scientist, Ethical AI, Google will moderate a panel with Alex Ahmed of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute and Anna Lauren Hoffman, Assistant Professor, School of Information, University of Washington for a frank and thought-provoking discussion on the intersection of race, gender, and AI, the failures of algorithmic identity, and inclusion in AI.
This global event will feature workshops hosted by many artists including Indigenous artist Suzanne Kite, which will include an artist talk, introduction to Kite’s contribution to the Indigenous Protocols and Artificial Intelligence Position Paper, and a discussion and workshopping of the creation of new technologies through ethical protocols.
“Brazil has the largest black population outside Africa and the second largest on the planet. Despite all the inequality indicators, we have incredible Black women in IT & Innovation, which the world needs to know!” says Andreza Rocha. At BrazilJS, in addition to being a partner, Rocha leads Operations and Diversity. Her position contemplates, plans, manages and executes the strategy of these pillars in an integrated manner. Andreza Rocha will do her presentation entirely in Portugeuese, which further highlights Women in AI Ethics™ initiative’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Teemu Roos, Professor of Computer Science at University of Helsinki, creator of the popular Elements of AI online course, and Advisory Board Member for 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ 2020 reiterates,
“The most important decisions about AI are not technological. They are ethical, societal, and ultimately, political. It is unacceptable that only a small, narrowly defined subset of individuals and organizations should make these decisions.” Roos continues, “We need to actively encourage, support, and amplify groups of people whose voices are normally absent from the field of AI Ethics.”
“Proud of The Women in AI Ethics™ (WAIE) global initiatives,” remarks Debra Ruh, CEO of Ruh Global IMPACT.
“Women have been adding leadership with little to no recognition in the workforce in STEM fields for many years. Proud that WAIE began with the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics and continues to evolve.” Ruh continues, “The ongoing goals are to assure that the diverse voices of these amazing women are heard. Special thanks to Mia Dand, and her amazing team for their efforts to be sure women are fully included in AI and Ethics.”
About Women in AI Ethics
The Women in AI Ethics™ (WAIE) is a global initiative with a mission to increase recognition, representation, and empowerment of women in AI Ethics. It is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Good Fund, a California nonprofit corporation and registered 501(c)(3) organization and part of their global network of mission-oriented organizations.
This initiative started with the first 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ list in 2018, which is now published annually to recognize rising stars as well as leaders in this space. To increase representation of women at AI/tech conferences and companies, an open online directory of Women in AI Ethics™ has also been launched to to make it easier for conference organizers and recruiters to recruit talented women working hard to make AI ethical, inclusive, and accessible for all.
More here https://lighthouse3.com/womeninaiethics/about.html
About Social Good Fund
Social Good Fund is a California nonprofit corporation and registered 501(c)(3) organization. SocialGood works to create and establish positive influences for individuals, communities, and the environment. The goal is to sponsor and develop projects that will help positively impact and develop local communities into healthier and happier places to live, work, and be. https://www.socialgoodfund.org
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Register here for the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ – 2020
Infographic courtesy of Lighthouse3
