With the advancement of Chat GPT and other AI technologies, Lesbians Who Tech founder Leanne Pittsford says workforce diversity is critical.
By Sam Manzella for LGBTQ Nation –
If you ask Leanne Pittsford, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in STEM are intrinsically linked to thoughtful innovation. The San Francisco-based technologist and entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of Lesbians Who Tech & Allies (LWT), a first-of-its-kind organization that empowers queer women and trans technologists.
With the sudden ubiquity of artificial intelligence (AI) programs like ChatGPT, the tech sector is one of the most buzzworthy areas in STEM. However, despite increased pushes for DEI, the field is still overwhelmingly white and male. Women account for just 28 percent of all STEM professionals, and queer women are even more underrepresented. They’re rarely promoted to senior roles or recognized as leaders in their fields.
Thanks to the work of industry pioneers like Pittsford, the tide is beginning to change — and that’s a boon to both queer individuals and technological innovation at large.
But these advancements don’t occur in a vacuum. In the past year alone, AI technology has progressed so rapidly that government agencies worldwide struggle to regulate it. Although these technologies may seem inherently objective, they are still used by humans who harbor their own subjectivities and social biases. The software engineers who develop AI chatbots and algorithms are biased, too — and they’re being confronted daily with the social and political ramifications of inadvertently scaling their own prejudices.
According to Pittsford, 42, that’s precisely why we need diverse thinkers in this field. Technologists from historically marginalized communities tend to approach their work with inclusion and equity in mind, which bodes well for the future of AI and other emerging technologies.
READ MORE HERE
