The gender gap in technology is real. As per the World Economic Forum, women represent just 22% of AI professionals worldwide. It is vital to address the gender diversity problem in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) fields. The only way to bridge the gender gap and eliminate gender bias in AI is to encourage more women to pursue tech subjects. Women role models play a vital role in breaking gender stereotypes and inspiring young girls to take up STEM subjects. To encourage conversations on gender diversity and celebrate the achievements of women in tech, we are sharing this article listing some of the most inspiring women in AI and data science.
The most inspiring women influencers in AI and data science
1. Fei-Fei Li, Sequoia Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University
With 180+ published research papers to her credit, Fei-Fei Li is one of the most recognized AI leaders in the world. She is a recipient of several honors including the Technical Leadership Abie Award by AnitaB.Org. She is well-known for her research in computer vision, cognitive neuroscience, AI, and healthcare. Her most prominent work includes the ImageNet project for large-scale visual recognition – a game-changer in the Deep Learning field. A strong advocate of symbiotic human-AI relationships, Dr. Li is on a mission to make AI better for humans.
2. Caitlin Smallwood, VP Data & Insights at Netflix
Caitlin Smallwood heads various data science functions at Netflix – the world’s most popular OTT platform with over 50 million subscribers. Since joining the company in 2010, she has leveraged her expertise in AI-enabled analytics and recommendations systems for various application use cases including data engineering, statistical research, consumer research, personalizing recommendations, predicting content popularity, guiding marketing investments, new experimentation, and developing mathematical models that enhance Netflix and makes it what it is today.
3. Joy Buolamwini, Founder, Algorithmic Justice League
Joy Buolamwini is an algorithmic bias researcher at MIT media. Her research has been covered in over 40 countries and has helped uncover racial and gender bias in AI technologies of large corporations such as Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon. Buolamwini established the Algorithmic Justice League for promoting ethical and more inclusive AI. She is also part of the Global Tech Panel convened by the VP of the European Commission to advise world leaders and technology executives on ways to prevent the harms of A.I. She also launched the Safe Face Pledge agreement that prohibits the lethal application of facial analysis and recognition technology in partnership with the Georgetown Law Center in 2018.
4. Allie Miller, Global Head of Machine Learning Business Development, Startups and Venture Capital at Amazon
Allie Miller is the head of AI growth for startups and Venture Capital at Amazon Web Services. A well-known AI influencer, Allie has authored eight guidebooks on building successful AI projects and spoken at several AI events around the world. She has also addressed the European Commission and helped draft national-level AI strategies.
5. Daphne Koller, Founder & CEO at insitro
Daphne Koller is the CEO and Founder of insitro – a company that leverages ML and high-throughput biology for drug discovery. She began her career as a professor at the Computer Science department at Stanford University in 1995, where she spent the next 18 years. She then worked as the Chief Computing Officer of Calico, an Alphabet company in the healthcare space. Later, she co-founded Coursera – a popular e-learning platform where she worked for over 5 years. She is a recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Sloan Foundation Faculty Fellowship.
6. Rana el Kaliouby, CEO & Co-Founder, Affectiva
Rana el Kaliouby is an AI thought leader and the author of the book – Girl Decoded. She is the co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, an MIT Media Lab spinoff credited with creating the category of artificial emotional intelligence, or Emotion AI. She is part of industry organizations like the Partnership on AI and the World Economic Forum’s Council of Young Global Leaders. A strong advocate of ethical development and deployment of AI, Rana is on a mission to humanize how people interact with technology.
7. Kate Crawford, Sr Principal Researcher at Microsoft
Kate Crawford is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft. She co-founded the Fairness, Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics (FATE) group at Microsoft. She is also a distinguished Research Professor at NYU, a Visiting Professor at MIT’s Center for Civic Media, and an Honorary Professor at the University of New South Wales. She is known for her research on the social impacts of large-scale data systems, machine learning, and AI. She has authored several articles for leading publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and Harper’s Magazine. A well-known AI influencer, Kate has been a speaker at many high-profile AI events. She has also advised policymakers in the White House, the Federal Trade Commission, the United Nations, and the City of New York about the ethics and politics of data. In 2017, she co-founded the AI Now Institute at NYU, which is dedicated to understanding the social implications of AI.
8. Daniela Rus, Director at MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL)
Daniela Rus is the Director of MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). She is one of the world’s leading roboticists known for her work in artificial intelligence, self-reconfiguring robots, shape-shifting machines, mobile computing, and programmable matter. Her research is instrumental in developing collaborative robotics technology. She is the recipient of the 2017 Engelberger Robotics Award from the Robotics Industries Association.
There is a global need to encourage more female participation in the STEM, AI, and data science fields. Women entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and industry leaders are vital to the progress of AI and related technologies that make our world better. We, at CrunchMetrics, believe in empowering women and are proud to support a pro-woman workplace. We are committed to encouraging gender diversity in AI and promoting initiatives to support women’s participation in the field.
Let’s choose to celebrate women’s achievements, challenge gender bias and help create a world that is equal for all!
Author: Tharika Tellicherry
