AI4ALL announces funding from Melinda Gates and Jensen + Lori Huang
We’re thrilled to announce the support of Melinda Gates and Jensen and Lori Huang. These pioneering leaders in artificial intelligence are providing gifts to support AI4ALL through Pivotal Ventures and the Jensen & Lori Huang Foundation.
With these donations, AI4ALL plans to launch new education programs for high schoolers at leading universities, to offer grants for artificial intelligence-related community outreach, and to expand industry and mentorship programs that provide the necessary continued support to our alumni community, encouraging alumni to stay in the AI field and to stay engaged.
As a mission-driven nonprofit foundation, AI4ALL looks to partner with people aligned with our mission who are deeply committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce in AI. For this reason, we are delighted to partner with Melinda Gates and Jensen and Lori Huang, who have been engaged with Fei-Fei’s AI research at her SAIL lab at Stanford.
“AI is the most transformative technology of our time. While we apply AI to the greatest challenges of today, it is imperative that we develop a rich and diverse community of next generation thinkers to advance AI for tomorrow. We are thrilled to support the mission of AI4ALL to bring diversity to AI through education.” — Jensen & Lori Huang
“If we don’t get women and people of color at the table — real technologists doing the real work — we will bias systems. Trying to reverse that a decade or two from now will be so much more difficult, if not close to impossible.” — Melinda Gates in conversation with Fei-Fei Li on Backchannel
We are honored to be partnering with Melinda, Jensen, and Lori, who have demonstrated such passion and commitment to bringing diversity and inclusion to AI. This is a significant step as we forge ahead on our mission of bringing diverse voices to the field of AI with a focus on humanistic uses for AI.
This funding announcement marks more than just financial gifts. They demonstrate the beginnings of systemic changes happening in the field of artificial intelligence and STEM. AI4ALL is excited to be at the forefront of this change. Together with our donors, mentors, participating universities, and courageous students and alumni, we will build a diverse workforce that changes the future of AI.
Thank you, Jensen, Lori, and Melinda. We are thrilled to be on this journey with you.
About AI4ALL
AI4ALL is a national nonprofit working to increase diversity and inclusion in artificial intelligence. Our vision is a world where AI is created by people who represent the diverse general population. Learn more at http://ai-4-all.org/.
