Women Leading The AI Industry: “Why I’d love to see more companies addressing unconscious bias in their recruiting practices”, With Noelle Langston of IPsoft

I’d love to see more companies addressing unconscious bias in their interview/recruiting practices, but more so I’d like to see more diversity in the CEO chair and in other positions of power. That’s everything.

The diversity stats in tech and in AI are abysmal. We’re already such a small segment of people working with algorithms and experiences that billions of people are meant to use, so it’s even more frustrating to see so many companies who talk about diversity without actually participating in it. The data is pretty clear that companies with women, black people, etc., in positions of power equate to higher revenues. The talent is out there, so there really is no excuse.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Noelle Langston. As Director of Cognitive Experience Design at IPsoft, Noelle Langston leads a team of designers, linguists, and engineers who work with clients in various industries around the world to solve problems through cognitive technology. Her work reflects an unwavering belief that good design can improve lives, transform organizations, and ultimately change the world. She is committed to being an inclusive leader who builds diverse teams in order to create technology and experiences for the people that human-centered organizations aim to serve.

Prior to IPsoft, Noelle was at McKinsey & Company. Over the course of 6+ years, Noelle served in various roles. She worked on launch strategies for new technology and served as a co-lead for the firm’s internal research program. As a product manager for the firm’s benefit and retirement platforms, Noelle worked closely with the McKinsey Board of Trustees to manage the technology and information used by all McKinsey colleagues and alums. For 4 years, Noelle also oversaw McKinsey’s volunteer initiatives in the New York office.

Noelle has coached soccer for many years, most recently with the South Bronx United (SBU) in New York City. Founded as a way to create immediate community and belonging for immigrant children in the neighborhood, SBU combines the sport with academics, leadership and other non-profit services such as mental health support, nutritional education, and legal advice.

As a scholarship student-athlete, Noelle played NCAA Division 1 soccer at University of San Francisco and University of Minnesota. She earned degrees in Psychology and Ethnic Studies, and served on the NCAA Student-Athlete Council all four years. As a youth athlete, Noelle played for the U.S. Olympic Development Program and won state, regional, and national titles with the San Diego Surf Soccer Club. She earned various awards for both academic and sport achievement.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share with us the ‘backstory” of how you decided to pursue this career path?

It’s been a weird, winding road! My first love was soccer, so I thought that would be my career until the pro league in the US disbanded while I was still in college. I studied human psychology, sociology, and web design but I started out in business consulting for both the stable income and the clear career path. I came into design work mostly because I was frustrated by the disconnect between a business and its consumers. It just made sense to find ways to bring them together, and I love how conversational AI solves this problem through actual conversation. I just kept pursuing what I wanted to learn about, and in ways I believed I could use to make a positive difference.

What lessons can others learn from your story?

I wish I hadn’t wasted so many years thinking I wasn’t qualified enough. It took someone else to help me realize I was afraid of taking the jobs I really wanted because I didn’t think I would be accepted without a degree in art or human-computer interaction. I wasn’t feeling excited about my job anymore and our COO of the company generously offered some counsel. The first thing she asked was about what got me out of bed in the morning, and then she asked me what I wanted to do next in my career. I was talking all about other jobs and she stopped me and then very bluntly said, “You don’t actually want those other jobs. Keep doing the job you love and stop asking for permission.” It sounds so obvious to describe it, but I didn’t have the self-awareness to recognize it at the time. Shout out to Leslie Giordano at McKinsey!

Can you tell our readers about the most interesting projects you are working on now?

Yes! I’m really excited about several different projects right now, although the specifics are fairly confidential. We’ve been trying to do more experimental side projects and one recently became a real product experience that we’re developing with our marketing team. Another project is focused on innovating guest experience in hospitality, and a very similar project involving Amelia as a vending machine. I love it when we work with clients who trust us to venture out of the safe harbors of the status quo and into the unknowns of innovation and disruption. That’s where the magic happens. Amelia is forcing companies to get uncomfortable in order to become inclusive, effective communicators of process.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m grateful for so many wonderful people who have been generous and supportive throughout the years to help me forge my own path. One that stands out is the incomparable Jim Farrell, who I could never thank enough for his tireless advocacy and mentorship. Jim patiently listened to my ideas and vision for how to redesign a web experience used by thousands of people. The decisions for this project were made by a formal board of trustees, filled with very senior influential people at our firm. Those committee meetings could be pretty intimidating, but Jim always made room for my participation and was so careful to ensure I got credit for my work. He let me run my own research and conduct experiments. That’s when I really fell in love with design thinking and user experience, because Jim gave me the space and the support to really go deep in my own exploration. He took an interest in what I was learning and encouraged me. I hope everyone comes across their own Jim. :)

What are the 5 things that most excite you about the AI industry? Why?

I’m encouraged by the growing movement toward ethical data practices. There are too many unknowns and far too big an impact on access to not be responsible about predicting and preventing unintended negative consequences. Noelle Silver is a great voice in this area (#NoellesForTheWin).

What are the 5 things that concern you about the AI industry? Why?

Lack of diversity, lack of transparency, lack of cohesion, profiteering, and lack of conscientiousness.

The diversity stats in tech and in AI are abysmal. We’re already such a small segment of people working with algorithms and experiences that billions of people are meant to use, so it’s even more frustrating to see so many companies who talk about diversity without actually participating in it. The data is pretty clear that companies with women, black people, etc., in positions of power equate to higher revenues. The talent is out there, so there really is no excuse.

As you know, there is an ongoing debate between prominent scientists, (personified as a debate between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg,) about whether advanced AI has the future potential to pose a danger to humanity. What is your position about this? // What can be done to prevent such concerns from materializing? And what can be done to assure the public that there is nothing to be concerned about?

I don’t think we can really be sure and with tech advancements moving at breakneck speeds, I really think we should be more transparent about that deficit. In the future, I hope the economy changes where consumers and markets reward companies that prioritize our safety so that we’re incentivizing and reinforcing smart practices. Market position shouldn’t be the goal, it should be the reward.

I think the public should be aware and concerned, and we should be demanding more honesty and responsibility from tech companies in general. Check out the Copenhagen Letter for an articulation of responsibility from the design perspective.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share a story?

It’s unrelated to AI, but I coached a competitive youth soccer team in the South Bronx for a few years before I moved to Austin. Soccer was such a formative experience in my life and there’s very little about me now that isn’t rooted in what I learned as an athlete, teammate, and captain. I wanted to pay that gift forward to honor the investment others made into my career, and just in general offer up my shoulders for the future generation of women to stand on. Here’s a link to an article one of my players wrote about her experience on my team to hear the story from her perspective.

As you know, there are not that many women in your industry. Can you share 3 things that you would you advise to other women in the AI space to thrive?

I don’t think there’s much I can offer to other women other than encouragement to be your best version of yourself, but I do think this question is more relevant to men in the industry. I don’t see enough men holding each other accountable for the ways they’re exacerbating dangerous prejudice, like assuming women aren’t technical or when men tend to talk over or interrupt women far more than they do other men.

Can you advise what is needed to engage more women into the AI industry?

I’d love to see more companies addressing unconscious bias in their interview/recruiting practices, but more so I’d like to see more diversity in the CEO chair and in other positions of power. That’s everything.

What is your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that had relevance to your own life?

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences” - Audre Lorde

We have so much more work to do before people can really be celebrated for their differences, starting with confronting issues like sexism, racism, transphobia, etc., so that people can simply safely exist. It’s not good enough but my team looks very different from the industry norms: we have people who never worked in tech before, people who didn’t go to college, and 40% of my team identifies as female. We use a skills test to limit bias in our recruiting. I note my preferred pronouns in my email signature. But there are glaring gaps. Our company does not have any initiatives to drive diversity at the policy and process level.

I regularly work with men who don’t treat me the same way they treat other men. That isn’t uncommon for women in tech/AI or unique to any specific company. I recently took a risk by talking openly about it with my boss. His support and acknowledgement that this was squarely a sexism problem was one of the most productive things he could do, because I didn’t lose time wondering if it was something else and trying to solve it. It’s not the utopia described in the quote, but if more men/white people/cis-hetero people could do this and follow it up with action, we can reallocate that energy to what makes our differences our strength.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Let’s be internet friends! The best way to connect is on LinkedIn or Twitter.