Women, AI, and the Battle Against Bias
Women, gather 'round! It's time to talk about something as revolutionary as the right to vote – Artificial Intelligence. Yes, AI. That tech buzzword that seems to hover around every futuristic conversation like a drone. But here's the thing – not enough women are diving into this digital domain, and that is a problem. A big, bias-laden problem. This is why POW is stepping in – to bridge the gap, empower women with AI knowledge, and link this technological revolution to our mission of providing arts opportunities to those who have been historically underserved. By ensuring women are not left behind in this AI wave, we are advocating for a more inclusive and creative digital future.
Artificial Intelligence, in all its algorithmic glory, is supposed to be neutral. It's supposed to be this gleaming paragon of objective truth, processing data without the pesky interference of human prejudice. But – humans make AI, and humans are as biassed as a toddler in a toy store. Our biases, unconscious or otherwise, seep into the very code that powers AI, turning it into a digital mirror reflecting all our societal flaws.
Consider the realm of job recruitment. Ideally, AI should sift through résumés with the cold, calculating precision, picking the best candidates purely on merit. But in reality, if the data it's trained on is biassed – say, it's mostly historical data of men being hired for certain roles – then the AI will likely favour men, too.
Then there's the issue of language. AI-powered assistants like Alexa and Siri are prime examples. They've been caught associating 'man' with 'doctor' and 'woman' with 'nurse' as if they've been programmed with a 1950s mindset, reinforcing stereotypes rather than breaking them.
So, let's not kid ourselves. AI might be a technological marvel, but it's also a mirror. And if we want our digital friend to reflect a fairer, more equitable world, it's up to us to clean up our act and make sure we're feeding it the right stuff. Because if we don't, we'll just keep seeing the same old biassed reflection staring back at us.
So, what can we do about it? Well, the first step is acknowledging that our shiny, new technology isn't as unbiased as we'd like to believe. It's got cracks, and through those cracks, our prejudices seep through. The next step is fixing those cracks – and that means getting more diverse voices involved in creating and training AI systems. Because let's face it, if the only people teaching the AI are a bunch of white guys who think 'The Matrix' is a documentary, we're going to end up with a very skewed, very limited AI.
The world of AI desperately needs more women because gender bias in AI training data is a real issue. Let's talk about what "training" AI actually means. Chat GPT, for instance. It's an AI language model trained on an enormous variety of text data. Imagine it as a digital sponge, soaking up words, phrases, and nuances from every corner of the internet and beyond. Now, if this digital sponge primarily absorbs data written by men, reflecting predominantly male perspectives, what do you get? An AI that echoes those perspectives, reinforcing the same biases we're trying to eradicate.
AI doesn't just need more data – it needs the right data. Diverse data. Data that represents the full spectrum of human experience. This means input from women, people of colour, LGBTQ+ individuals, and every other slice of humanity.
So, the world of AI is calling. It needs your voice, your vision, your verve. Frida Polli, the CEO of Pymetrics, put it perfectly at the Fortune's Most Powerful Women Next Generation Summit: "Can you imagine if 20-year-old men raised all the toddlers in the world? That's what our AI looks like today. It's being built by a very homogenous group." We need a mix of voices and perspectives to raise our AI babies right.
We have the power to change this. Open a Chat GPT account and play, or join our beginners workshop for women on using AI. We know AI can seem as intimidating , but trust us – it's not rocket science. Our three-hour course will turn you from an AI newbie into a confident user. Here's what we'll cover:
Introduction to AI: We'll demystify AI, breaking down what it is, how it works, and why it's more approachable than you think. Spoiler: it's not some dystopian robot overlord.
Getting Started with Chat GPT: Learn how to have meaningful, productive conversations with Chat GPT. We'll show you how to ask questions, get useful answers, and use it to brainstorm ideas or even draft emails that you've been putting off.
Exploring DALL-E: Dive into the creative side of AI with DALL-E. We'll guide you through generating images from text prompts, helping you bring your wildest visual ideas to life. No artistic skills required – just your imagination.
Spotting and Avoiding Bias: Understand how to recognise bias in AI outputs and what you can do to steer clear of it. We'll give you practical tips to ensure your AI interactions are as fair and unbiased as possible.
Hands-On Practice: Throughout the workshop, you'll get plenty of hands-on practice, with support from our instructor. By the end, you'll be navigating AI like a pro.
Power on, women. The future is yours.
