00:00So we have with us Shreya Krishnan, India head at Anita B. Org, is a dynamic leader driving
00:07inclusion and representation for women and non-binary technologists across the country.
00:13Her work champions equity, community building and transformative opportunities in technology.
00:18Welcome to our channel, ma'am.
00:19Thank you so much. It's good to be here.
00:22So first I'd like to know what's the core vision behind Grace Hopper Celebration India
00:2625 and what do you hope participants, especially women early in their tech careers, take away
00:32from this addition.
00:33I think for us Unbound is the theme this year and that's very close to my heart because
00:38we're always trying to live up to somebody else's expectations.
00:41We're always trying to live up to what society thinks success is.
00:45But have we really heard our inner voice and have we really asked ourselves what do we really
00:49want? What is our dream?
00:51What is something we want to chase?
00:53And I think in constantly seeking something from the outside, we're forgetting who we
00:58are in the inside.
00:59So I think my message to everybody young who's looking out to start off in a career, remember
01:03that your career will stay with you.
01:06Remember that it will fuel you and that it's your purpose and that when you have a career
01:10that you're loving and you're invested in, then you'll automatically grow so much as all
01:17of the other roles in your world and in your life.
01:19Right.
01:20Well said.
01:21So beautifully you have described this thing.
01:23So as AI rapidly transforms workplaces, what steps should organizations take to ensure
01:29that women and underrepresented groups are not left behind in AI readiness, killing and
01:36leadership opportunities?
01:37I think AI is all about participation.
01:39The data that machines are learning from right now is already problematic because there's so
01:44many biases in the system.
01:45So AI is a reflection of what we already have in the world, right?
01:50And all of that data is primarily flawed because it tells you certain things that are problematic
01:58within the society and now moving, whether it's race, whether it's culture, whether it's
02:02caste, whether it's bias.
02:04AI has started imbibing these.
02:06And there are enough black box examples that will tell you how AI tends to not be entirely
02:11ethical in its behavior and that's because of data sets.
02:13So I think it's very important to one, participate in the language of AI because AI representation
02:18of women is very low.
02:20It's in the 30%.
02:20So we need to increase that participation.
02:23So the AI that's being built for this world starts speaking and behaving like the world
02:28and not like one segment of the world.
02:29So I think it's very important to participate in the building of it.
02:32It's important to create data sets that are neutral so that you can really create grassroot
02:36level change.
02:37Right, right.
02:38So how can we build AI systems from data to deployment that are not only innovation but
02:44also inclusive, ethical and free from gender bias?
02:48And what role can platform like GHCI play in driving this shift?
02:53I think the first thing is data and awareness, right?
02:55There are so many times that AI models have hired more men than women despite having gender
03:01blind resumes where AI doesn't know who the gender of the person applying is.
03:05And that's because AI is very smart.
03:07It's learned to find that women write their resumes differently from men.
03:11So it starts discriminating at that level.
03:13So you're not just at the surface level, but it's about really going deeper and having
03:17the awareness to identify what those problems could be.
03:20And I keep repeating this.
03:22You can never have responsible or ethical AI.
03:24You can have responsible and ethical people working with AI, building AI, creating AI,
03:29crafting AI.
03:30And I think that's a reminder to all of us.
03:33It's a tool that you hold and you wield, right?
03:36You can't put the, you can't tell the knife that you have to be accountable for whether
03:40you're chopping vegetables or taking a life, right?
03:43The knife is in your hands.
03:44The accountability is yours.
03:46So who are the people wielding this power?
03:48And I think that's a very important question to ask.
03:50And if you're not one of those people, make sure you have a seat at the table.
03:53If you don't have one, drag a chair, sit down, join the table and say, I'm here to be heard.
03:59You're right.
04:00That's so wonderful.
04:01Thank you so much for this insightful conversation.
04:03Thank you so much.
04:04And today we have with us Branda Darden Wilkerson, a trailblazing leader in global tech equity
04:10and the president and CEO of Anita B. Org, a passionate advocate for access, inclusion
04:16and opportunity.
04:18She has championed pathways for women and non-binary technologists worldwide.
04:22Her vision continues to reshape how the world understands diversity in technology.
04:28Welcome to our channel, ma'am.
04:29Thank you so much.
04:30It's great to be here.
04:31So first of all, I'd like to know from your perspective, what emerging trends in technology
04:36are creating the biggest opportunity for women?
04:39And how is your organization preparing them to lead in these spaces?
04:44Well, tech is always changing.
04:46And so part of what we do is make sure that the women have the opportunity to get trained,
04:52to have networking with all of the leaders, to see the example of what it means to be a trailblazer
04:58as technologies change.
05:00And so that's why we're so excited to be here in Bangalore to offer up the Grace Hopper
05:05celebration here in India.
05:07We're so excited to have a community of women who come together to actually learn together
05:12and to meet each other and to take those experiences back so that as things change, they have people
05:18who can share in those experiences with them and give them great advice as to what their
05:24next steps can be.
05:25Right.
05:26So your org has long advocated for systematic change in workplaces.
05:31So what progress have you seen globally and specifically in Asia when it comes to building
05:37equitable tech ecosystem?
05:38And what gaps still need urgent attention?
05:41Well, we've seen the numbers increase and the numbers of women in technology increase.
05:46And we credit that to the examples of great tech women who have shown the example of what
05:53it takes to be successful in tech and for women really putting their back into learning all
05:59of the important technologies that will impact our world today and tomorrow.
06:03But there still is a gap.
06:05We know that women are still over 50% of the population.
06:09We know that they are populations whose needs and concerns are not represented in tech.
06:14And we think that that is especially critical as we move into the impact of AI on our world.
06:21We need to make sure that all voices are being used to train the LLMs that run the AI.
06:27We need to make sure that the solutions really fit the human condition that's necessary
06:33because the whole purpose of tech is in service of humanity.
06:37Right.
06:38So as AI, cybersecurity, and sustainable computing rapidly reshape the global tech landscape,
06:46so what strategic role do you see women technologists playing in driving responsible
06:51and inclusive innovation?
06:53Well, what I would like to see is for us to think of AI as more of augmented intelligence.
07:00I see women who have throughout time known how to balance multiple things and to really
07:07be successful at doing all the things that it means to be a woman, being able to be that
07:13voice that says, here's how the AI can augment our intelligence.
07:18Here's how it can make our world a place that is more livable and how we can still have lifestyle
07:26at home, right?
07:27So we can use the AI to help us do the things that need to be done, not replace us.
07:33And I believe our voice is uniquely capable to be able to enter that conversation and to
07:38define it.
07:40True, true, true.
07:41So what does equitable innovation mean to you and how can organizations like yours, alone
07:47with global tech communities, ensure that innovation benefits are distributed fairly across gender,
07:53race, and socioeconomic lines, you know, rather than reinforcing existing inequalities?
08:00That's why equity is so important.
08:02The fact that there are so many of our voices that are not at the table, where we're not included
08:07in the product design, where we're not included in the decisions that are important that have
08:12to be made in terms of which products are released, what gets funded, that is part of the inequity.
08:19And so having women at the table, again, who've experienced what it takes to run whole portions
08:25of our societies, to have them there where we're deciding which products to fund, which ones to push
08:32forward, and which ones to put on the back burner, is critical to what happens next.
08:38And with AI, things are happening so quickly, we must have our voices at the table where those
08:44decisions are made.
08:45Well said, madam.
08:46So across the world, government, industry bodies are reshaping, you know, new policies around
08:52AI ethics, data governance, digital inclusion, and workforce killing.
08:56So how can women technologists influence these policy conversations?
09:01And what role is your org playing in ensuring their perspective are represented in national
09:07global tech policy frameworks?
09:09The women being at the table is critical.
09:12And their voice, their ability, their desire to speak up and say, had you considered this?
09:18Had you thought about that?
09:20What about these people over here that are not in this equation?
09:23It's what's going to slow us down from some of the decisions that are being made that
09:28will impact us for decades.
09:30And so the voice is why we're here.
09:33We want to let women know that they have a voice.
09:36Sometimes we don't realize the voice that we have and how critical it is.
09:40We've been told that there were only certain portions of society that we impact, and it's
09:45just not true.
09:46And so once that truth is out, then we have the ability to speak up in those rooms and be in
09:52those places where those decisions are made and make a difference.
09:55It will make a difference.
09:57We've seen that historically with women in tech and women in science, women in business.
10:02And so we're here to make sure that it happens at this really critical, disruptive time in
10:06tech.
10:07Right.
10:08Madam, thank you so much for this insightful conversation.
10:10Thanks a lot.
10:11My pleasure.
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