Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved from the far-off, sci-fi ideals of superhuman robots and systems to a reality where AI is now integrated into our everyday lives.
Although AI has been around in one form or another, it wasn’t until the late 20th century that researchers began to seriously explore the potential of using computers to simulate human intelligence.
Today, AI is used in numerous ways, from helping doctors diagnose diseases to assisting scientists in discovering new drugs.
And the potential uses for AI are only limited by our imagination.
A report from Fortune Business Insights reveals that the AI market size is projected to grow from $387.45B in 2022 to $1,394.30B in 2029 at a CAGR of 20.1 per cent in the forecast period.
“Growing investment in AI technology by enterprises of all sizes across industries to garner momentum in the next several years,” says the report.
But the question remains, “who are the people at the forefront of this revolution?”
According to a report from the World Economic Forum, women hold only one-quarter of all tech occupations, while men continue to have the majority of technical and leadership positions in the industry.
Unfortunately, the gender gap exists in the AI industry too.
The report further reveals:
- Women make up only 22 per cent of AI professionals globally
- 13.83 per cent of AI paper authors are women
- 18 per cent of authors at leading AI conferences are women
- 2 per cent of venture capital was directed towards startups founded by women in 2019.
Gabriela I. Ramos Patiño, Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO, says, “The lack of gender diversity in the workforce, the gender disparities in STEM education, and the failure to contend with the uneven distribution of power and leadership in the AI sector are very concerning, as are gender biases in data sets and coded in AI algorithm products.”
However, numerous outstanding women are now leading the way in AI, breaking the barriers.
They are influencing the direction of the Artificial Intelligence industry through their work as entrepreneurs, academic researchers, business executives, venture investors, and more.
Additionally, several organisations and initiatives are aiming to increase women-participation in the AI industry. One such initiative is the “Women in AI” awards.
Founded in 2016 by Dr. Hanan Salam, Caroline Lair, and Moojan Asghari, Women in AI (WAI) is a nonprofit do-tank working towards inclusive AI that benefits global society.
It was founded as an online gathering to empower women and minorities to become AI & Data experts, innovators, and leaders.
Ahead of the final WAIGALA NL 2023 (WAI Netherlands) event, scheduled for February 9, 2023, Silicon Canals reached out to leading women in the field of AI to understand who inspired them the most in the Artificial Intelligence sector.
Here’s what they had to say:
Katerina Makrogamvraki
Katerina Makrogamvraki is a Coordinator of European AI-Ecosystem Development at the University of Amsterdam.
Who inspired you the most in the AI sector?
There are great scientists like Timnit Gebru who work on algorithmic bias. She is using her knowledge and focusing her research on creating more fair algorithms. At the same time, she is a public figure that openly discusses the negative ways that algorithms used by Google and Facebook can be discriminative. I think she is a great role model for women in the field.
The people that inspire me the most and make me want to work harder in the field are my colleagues – Esther Smit (Business Director of ICAI) and Vanja Skordic (AI expert).
Esther is an integral part of the ICAI development, the National Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence (ICAI), with the mission to keep the Netherlands at the forefront of knowledge and talent development in AI. Her role in creating the right collaborations and environment for NL to become the centre of AI innovation has been a great inspiration.
Oliviana Bailey
Oliviana Bailey is the ambassador for Women in AI (WAI) in Amsterdam and Director of Hyperion Lab, an innovative space that brings together a vibrant ecosystem to accelerate green AI and HPC (High-Performance Computing).
Who inspired you the most in the AI sector?
Since so many remarkable women work in AI, it is difficult for me to pick just one. Also, seeing all the nominations for our upcoming awards has only furthered my knowledge of some of how many women are doing incredible work.
My AI experience is due to my work with mentors and startups. Some of the most inspiring women I’ve worked with were Christina Calje, Ilse Kamps, Alla Idrisova, and Corinne Vigreux, who were successful founders and incredible mentors.
Iva Gornishka
Iva Gornishka is an AI specialist in the City of Amsterdam.
Who inspired you the most in the AI sector?
The women in AI around me are mostly my direct colleagues or collaborators. All of them are inspiring women, of course, but I find it hard to say one is more so than the other. If I really need to pick one person, that would probably be Emma Beauxis-Aussalet. She works on fairness – a topic that we find extremely important at the City of Amsterdam. And she is a great speaker which makes her talks extremely engaging and inspiring.”
Giulia Donker
Giulia Donker is an AI Business Developer at the University of Amsterdam. Donker helps researchers bring their state-of-the-art AI knowledge to the market.
Who inspired you the most in the AI sector?
The researchers I work with are mostly men. Unfortunately, I don’t work with other women in AI too often.
Someone I’ve worked with in the past and influences the AI ecosystem in Amsterdam and beyond is Esther Smit. She knows how to set up complex organisations, such as ADS and ICAI, and still has the time and mental capacity to be involved with many important projects, such as the new LAB42 building that counts as office space for both researchers and professionals.
She inspires me most with the amount and complexity of work that she does, while she doesn’t make it seem like it.
Iffat Rose Gill
Iffat Gill is an experienced international NGO leader-activist, digital strategist, and social entrepreneur working on gender equality and economic empowerment of women through digital inclusion.
Iffat launched ‘The Code To Change,’ a mentoring programme to bridge the gender and e-skills gap in the technology industry through boot camps, workshops, and awareness sessions by top experts.
Who inspired you the most in the AI sector?
I started my work as an activist/social justice warrior, especially in the field of gender diversity in tech. This is why I find the work of pioneers like Joy Buolamwini (Founder of Algorithmic Justice League) ground-breaking.
People like Joy brought to the world’s attention how biassed these algorithms are and how they are negatively impacting the lives of people of colour.
Her pioneering work on algorithmic bias as a graduate student at MIT opened the world’s eyes to the racial and gender prejudices embedded in facial recognition systems. As a result, Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM each suspended their facial recognition offerings this year due to Buolamwini’s research, acknowledging that the technology was not yet fit for public use. In addition, Buolamwini’s work is powerfully profiled in the new documentary Coded Bias.
Buolamwini stands at the forefront of a burgeoning movement to identify and address the social consequences of artificial intelligence technology, a movement she advances through her nonprofit Algorithmic Justice League.
Marloes Pomp
Marloes is a tech enthusiast passionate about public services and social assignments.
Currently, she is responsible for international partnerships within the Netherlands AI Coalition, a member of the European AI Forum, and a Web3 advisor at the Dutch Blockchain Coalition.
Marloes has also set up a Blockchain and AI Innovation programme for the Dutch government.
Marloes serves as an Advisory Board member to the SIDN Fund, the Dutch Court, and The Blockchain the Society Board of the University of Amsterdam (VU).
Who inspired you the most in the AI sector?
“There are a lot of fantastic Women in AI.”
According to Marloes, the strategy board of NLAIC comprises some exemplary achievers in the field of AI, such as Pallas Achterberg, Rina Joosten, Mirjam Plantinga, and Greet Vink.
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