Women in AI Australia on AusBiz

Link: https://ausbiz.com.au/media/how-the-xx-factor-could-benefit-ai?videoId=45768

Transcript: For the first not for profit organisation for women in AI has been launched. Women in AI Australia was founded by three female leaders to advocate for the benefits of having more women in AI. Joining us now is one of those founders, Nikki Meller. Nikki, welcome. Thank you so much. Why the need for this then? I mean, AI, everyone is affected by it, so we're probably all using it regardless of whether we're male or female. What's the deficit as far as women are concerned? Unfortunately, all the reports lead to women continue to be underrepresented when it comes to technology careers. We only even though we make up 50% of the workforce, we're only taking up 30% of technology careers. And with that, highly technical careers such as AI is still even below 20%. The data shows that we're also research as a disadvantaged group. And it's so to to be able to come together and to say, no, we are actually should be represented. We should be advantaged by artificial intelligence and technology more broadly, and actually advocate for women more broadly with the impacts and actions needed. But does this go back to an age old problem that there simply aren't enough women entering the sciences? Now this goes back to school age, doesn't it? With Stem education, it does. But that's actually lifted, hasn't it? We are getting more girls of school age that are actually doing those critical science subjects. We are, but it's just edging forward ever so slightly. So I think the rate is 2% increase over the last five years. And that's really not good enough. We've seen reports and data actually show that girls aged 11 and 12, 50% of them think that they're not smart enough for Stem subjects. And that's why women are. Australia was founded. We want to make sure that we're not only targeting girls as young as that, to actually demystify and debunk the understanding that they are smart enough to go into those areas, but also for young women and then for women who are in careers more broadly, to actually have a pivot, to actually lean into the technology and the technology revolution that is artificial intelligence, so that we can actually start to be represented more broadly, but also in a more positive way. Instead of just 2%. We should be at five and 10% at least. Sir Nicky, what's the risk here for Australia if the majority of women, for instance, are technologically illiterate in this age of AI economically about $6.6 billion. It is really important that we actually tap into the market, that we have the women that we have in the current workforce. There is jobs and skills. Australia advocated for small, sustainable programs where we can uplift and reskill women in the current workforce to be technologically enabled, to actually understand artificial intelligence more broadly. But also it has that economic benefit of the tech pool becoming larger for small to medium, actually, sorry, medium to larger organisations, but also to actually show women that are in the workforce currently that you can actually adapt. We can enable you. And that's why women in Australia was was actually founded by three women who saw the gap and the need for action. We need to empower girls, women at every stage in life. It doesn't matter where you come in to be enabled by this technology. So is this more than just education? What responsibility do businesses have of including women? Huge. It's unfortunate. I've built AI products for the last couple of years, and it's really unfortunate that when you go into have meetings and have these conversations that it's an inequitable situation. I don't see very many women at these tables having these conversations to say, where is women in your policies? Whereas women in your data and AI strategies, how do we how are we represented? What is the female voice there? If you think about even the risk of women not being in the conversation, it just deepens that digital divide. Does that come down to an inherent bias then, that women simply don't understand? Therefore, we're not going to consider them. Unfortunately, it's it's what is it is what it is. And we want to actually come in and start to debunk, but also change that narrative. We are more than capable. We have the tools and the technology to uplift women in this space and to actually lead, to learn to, to be supported. To actually have a seat at the table. And those leadership roles even go from schools and transition through an a career pathway. Nikki, what do you see as the opportunity that AI presents given this technology is changing ever so rapidly? And I mean, you're there. It must make your head spin. It does, but it's exciting. And this is this is this is what I don't think people quite understand yet. People are very scared that AI is going to take their jobs. And really it's about that education piece that no, we can enable you with the skills to use it effectively, more productively in your everyday. For women who generally have more administrative roles, we are not going to actually take your jobs through AI. It's about how do we uplift and support you with this information, with this new knowledge and your skills to be more productive and more proactive in these, in these conversations in the workplace.