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Recently, The New York Times, recognised as one of the world’s most-influential media outlets, faced the flak for the absence of women AI geniuses in their ‘Who’s Who in AI’ list. It is 2024, and amid the generative AI boom, the continued oversight of the monumental contributions made by marginalised communities, particularly women and non-binary individuals, remains a persistent issue.
Despite the foundational roles played by pioneers like Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Brenda Laurel, and Kimberly Bryant, their contributions are often overlooked. This oversight extends even further for those identifying as queer or non-binary. In the broader context, only a few people are aware of the pioneers in this field beyond figures like Alan Turing.
AIM got in touch with Brenda Darden Wilkerson, global chief executive officer, and Shreya Krishnan, MD, India, AnitaB.org, during the former’s recent visit to India, to understand the current scenario of DE&I in tech and how companies can make it better to accommodate people from different spectrums.
AnitaB.org is a social impact enterprise for advancing women and non-binary representation in technology and the creator of the popular ‘Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing‘ conference.
Diverse Datasets 🤝 Better GenAI Products
In December 2023, a CNBC report shed light on a surprisingly new turn of events for the big-tech companies, namely Microsoft, Google, and Meta. These companies had dismantled their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, which meant laying off DEI staff and leaders of diverse employee groups, downsizing learning programs, and cutting external DEI group budgets by up to 90%.
Ironically, all these companies are at the forefront of the generative AI revolution. “You are letting go of people who can address these biases and make your model smarter,” Brenda Wilkerson, told AIM.
Diversity, or the lack thereof, in technology, isn’t merely a social issue, it profoundly impacts the functionality and accessibility of products. The tech world’s homogeneity often leads to products and services that fail to consider the diverse needs of their user base.
The performance of your LLM-based product is directly proportional to the quality of your dataset. If your dataset is biased, your LLM will surely give biased results.
Recently, Google had to pause Gemini’s image generation feature, citing ‘inaccuracies’ in historical pictures – a common problem that arose due to the lack of diverse datasets. Another example of a biased dataset is Buzzfeed’s list of Midjourney-generated images of Barbies from different countries, which faced accusations of racism and cultural inaccuracies.
“Our goal is to dismantle the barriers, beginning with our own internal hurdles and extending to our surrounding environment, including our families and communities. By increasing the presence of women and non-binary individuals in tech, we can address these systemic challenges more effectively,” Krishnan told AIM.
The journey also involves redefining structures within universities and corporations, challenging the ingrained patriarchal mindset that often sidelines the contributions of women and non-binary people.
Persisting Challenges
According to a recent report, the gender pay gap in India’s tech industry is still a burning issue because, in junior management positions, women earn approximately 8-10% less than men. However, as women climb up the corporate ladder, this gap escalates considerably, reaching 28-30% for senior roles. Thus, women in top management positions are paid significantly less than their male counterparts for comparable jobs.
A report by Deloitte also found that there has been a decrease in behaviours that exclude women in the workplace, falling by almost 10 percentage points to 48%.
“As women in tech, we are highly educated, often holding master’s degrees and PhDs. However, despite our qualifications, we tend to enter the workforce at the lower end of the pay scale, facing underpayment,” added Wilkerson.
This oversight is not just a matter of historical record, it reflects a broader issue in the tech industry. “This disparity is not just a gap in wages; it’s a gap in recognition and respect,” said Krishnan.
Wilkerson further shared that beyond the pay disparity, marginalised communities are still tokenised and under pressure to conform to a given standard, be it in terms of appearance, behaviour, and so on. “Our focus is on building a community that recognises and uplifts each other across diverse backgrounds and geographies and break the traditional male-dominated standard,” added Wilkerson.
Echoing similar thoughts, Krishnan believes that tokenism becomes less of an issue when women become examples in leadership and management – and that is what the organisation is planning to do in India. Diverse perspectives at decision-making tables can lead to solutions that cater to a broader segment of society, addressing needs that have been long ignored.
“Our plans for India involve creating a robust community across various segments, from early starters to students and professionals in STEM roles. The focus is on mentorship, access to resources, and collaboration across diverse communities,” added Krishnan.
Krishnan shared with us that given the lack of data available for non-binary individuals around the globe, especially in India, the team will also address the needs of these individuals, provide safe spaces, and expand the community globally.
The collaboration extends to corporates, organisations, and LGBTQIA spaces, emphasising the collective impact achievable through collaboration involving organising events, sharing stories, and creating platforms to support individuals on their journeys.
“Even though things seem crazy right now, I am optimistic. Every time I come to India, I see women getting more educated, focused, and dedicated to bringing other women. That’s our community, and we’re building it,” concluded Wilkerson.
