There is a diversity crisis in AI, but together we can fix it.

Published in

AI4ALL

4 min readApr 18, 2019

Thanks to recent research from AI Now, AI Index, and WEF, there is new data shedding light on a pervasive and long-standing issue: the diversity crisis in AI. This is exactly why AI4ALL was founded, and we’ve seen up close the complex systemic barriers interwoven throughout our institutions and our society prohibiting an easy solution. We’ve seen young people in their early teens already facing barriers to entry, and we hear countless reports from young people like, “I never thought anyone who looked like me could succeed in computer science and AI.”

To address this challenge, AI4ALL provides education, mentorship, and career pathways into AI for underrepresented groups including racial minorities, women, and low socioeconomic status students. We start in high school and provide programming into college and career to combat the barriers facing these populations. These barriers include the lack of technical exposure to and awareness of the field of AI; lack of confidence and feelings of belonging; and lack of professional networks, role models, and community.

As the new report from AI Now describes, this problem goes deep and is systemic, and urgently needs to be solved. There are no silver bullets and it will take a collective effort to address all angles of the problem, including:

Access: Addressing access (to computer science, AI and core subjects like math) and barriers to entry starting early, especially focusing on those schools and communities that don’t have access
Investment from employers:
Changing company cultures, including incorporating best practices around inclusive workplaces and investment at the leadership level
Hiring, retention, and growth: Changing hiring practices, putting into place accountability metrics and systems to track not just hiring but also retention, advancement, and pay disparities
Entrepreneurship: Creating pathways to entrepreneurship and capital investment for underrepresented talent and in non-tech hubs
Self-awareness and humility from allies and those in power: The first step for those already in positions of power or who are part of a majority group is to examine their own biases, reactions and actions, as well as the wider cultural context of sexism, racism, and power. It will cause discomfort, so lean in and read up on the many great resources out there (some of which are linked at the bottom of this article).

We know that this multifaceted problem cannot be solved by one organization alone, and we are grateful for a growing network of partners and community working to solve this — including community-based organizations, schools, companies, and research institutions.

But we remain hopeful. Though this problem is complex and systemic, every day we are inspired by our students and many allies and partners who are paving a new way forward. For example, 77% of our alumni are interested in a career in AI after completing AI4ALL’s summer program, and 100% of our alumni feel that AI can positively impact their communities. Many of our alumni are already making significant impacts in the field through research that includes using AI to diagnose dyslexia, to examine inequities in the criminal justice system, and to detect the spread of wildfires. Our alumni are often inspired to work on problems that they and their communities have experienced first-hand. 11th grade AI4ALL alum, Stephanie, a first-generation Mexican-American and daughter of a farm worker, lives in an area with limited access to computer science education. Because the issue of water contamination due to factors like agricultural runoff is ever-present in her community, Stephanie has worked with mentors through AI4ALL to use AI techniques to predict the flow of contaminated water with the idea of equipping her community with better tools for health and safety. She will continue to broaden her AI research skillset in an AI research fellowship at a university in summer 2019.

And the ripple effect is profound: for every one AI4ALL alum, they go on to educate 10 more on average and have already reached over 2,500 underrepresented youth through their own AI and CS outreach and education initiatives.

It is critical to take an honest look at our history, face ugly truths head on, and not turn away from the hard problems. But we also cannot forget that a new way is possible. As one of our alumni put it, “You don’t have to be an AI expert to know that we, in this day and age, are in the middle of something almost magical, infinitely creative, and beautifully applicable in a variety of settings.” With a technology as powerful and exciting as AI, let’s not let the past define who we are. We CAN solve this if we work together, with humility, determination, and hope that a new story is possible. We owe it to ourselves, and to the future generations.

Resources

AI:

Diversity and Inclusion:

Race and Power:

Have another resource? Suggest one in the comments!

There is a diversity crisis in AI, but together we can fix it.

Resources

Written by Tess Posner