Women in AI: Front and Center at Transform July 19

We're excited to bring Transform 2022 back in person on July 19 and virtually from July 20-28. Join leaders in AI and data for in-depth discussions and exciting networking opportunities. Sign up today!

When I joined VentureBeat three months ago, I was not surprised to discover that a persistent gender gap persisted among AI professionals and researchers. Frustrating, of course, especially when the demand for AI talent is so high. But surprising? No.

The stats say it all: A 2020 World Economic Forum report found that women make up just 26% of data and AI positions in the workforce. According to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI's 2021 AI Index report, women make up just 16% of tenure-track faculty who focus on AI globally.

Connecting with Women in AI

That's why I'm especially excited to attend VentureBeat's in-person Executive Summit at Transform on July 19 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, which kicks off six days of virtual content and is the main applied AI event for business and enterprise technology decision makers.

However, I will admit that when I was first approached about participating in the Women in AI events at Transform, my jaw clenched in reflex at the thought that there had to be a separate program for women in AI. And as VentureBeat's only female reporter covering AI, I was the obvious editor to play a role.

Event

Transform 2022

Join us at the leading Applied AI event for enterprise business and technology decision makers on July 19 and virtually July 20-28.

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But it didn't take me long to recognize and be grateful for the important opportunity I had before me to connect with the dozens, if not hundreds, of inspiring female leaders participating in Transform. Not only will it be amazing to finally meet members of the entire AI community in person, but it will be especially powerful for me to moderate the annual Women in AI breakfast panel first thing in the morning.

For this dedicated conversation celebrating the achievements of women in AI, I will be speaking with three AI leaders: JoAnn Stonier, Chief Data Officer at Mastercard; Ya Xu, Vice President of Engineering, Chief Data Officer at LinkedIn; and Molly Parr, vice president, products, digital customer experiences, enterprise products and platforms.

In this roundtable, we will focus on how the increase in the number of women in data-centric and AI-centric fields has helped shed light on unconscious bias and better understand how to avoid it, thereby creating opportunities to enhance diversity in all aspects, not just gender.

Women in AI Award

I follow top AI thinkers on social media, read their ideas in various publications, and interview them for my own stories in VentureBeat. I definitely see women in AI leading the way in areas like ethics, biases, and human-centric AI. They lead AI efforts in the biggest brands and sell...