« The rise of powerful AI will be either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which ».
Stephen Hawking (2016)
(Moore, 2020, Week 11 Lecture).
Hello to you, beautiful readers!
I think this is the hardest « hello » I’ve ever written for this blog, since it’s the last one (aouch, it hurts just to think about it).
Today, I felt like writing a special article for you. Indeed, since the beginning, I’ve been highlighting the past, the present and the future of female sexuality through the technology of AI sex robot. Thus, I decided to write for you an article that you will be able to use as a tool for the next few years. An article that will guide you in order to influence and change the future in your own way, as a woman. And finally, I want to highlight the importance of your contribution as a woman in areas that may seem as far-fetched such as AI.
Why are women like you seen as important in the future of AI technology found in Sex Robots?
if you ever feel lazy, Here’s a link where Eva Prakash offers a nice explanation and summary of the importance of diversity in the field and industry of artificial intelligence.
Minevich (2020) highlights these two main reasons:
- “Female workforce within the artificial intelligence setting can help alleviate some of the biggest problems that enterprises face in the eyes of machine learning technologies, such as selection bias ».
- « According to the World Economic Forum, “Diverse teams, and especially those that emphasize women at their epicenter, are a necessary provision for enterprises to adopt in order to build, realize and accelerate enterprise AI maturity levels ».
To summarise Minevich (2020) argument, “women are a necessary force that organisations must integrate in order to accelerate the AI maturity of enterprises ». Indeed, YOU are a key piece to the puzzle of realising the highest maturity levels of digital enterprises, but unless we realise this, our progress in AI and technology will remain stagnant (Minevich, 2020).
Unfortunately, as I have raised in previous articles, we are caught in this vicious circle where there are very few women in the ATI industry, which means that « without female role models for girls to look up to, it becomes difficult for young women to envision future careers in science, technology and engineering fields. In fact, a 2018 Microsoft survey shows that female STEM role models boost the interest of girls in STEM careers from 32 percent to 52 percent” (Minevich, 2020).
So, I decided to offer you links and tools that will help you, if you want to be part of this industry, to be a role model for future next generations of girls who want to be part, as well of this field. « Not only will you inspire girls and young women to pursue careers in artificial intelligence, but also you will inform the world of the amazing feats that female pioneers in AI have achieved” (Minevich, 2020).
- Programs that you might want to register in:
Women in AI: This community help to develop, connect and inspire young women leaders so they can make their contribution to the future of AI through sponsor scholarships, AI leadership Camp, and ambassadorship in Australia. http://womeninai.com.au/
AI4GOOD: This community offers a 7-week summer training program that brings together a cohort of 30 women from across Canada in Montreal, Canada. https://www.ai4goodlab.com/
- Feminine role models that can inspire you in the AI industry (Minevich, 2020).
Global GAMMA CTO and BCG Gamma Partner Andrea Gallego
Strategy Leader at IBM Saudi Arabia Deema Alathel
Co-founder of the Women in Machine Learning Conference Hanna Wallach
Founding CTO at NukkAI Veronique Ventos
Director of the MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) Daniela Rus
ChairWoman and CTO at Diagnostic Robotics Dr. Kira Radinsky.
You can find much more of them and about them in these following articles:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/markminevich/2020/03/13/top-women-in-ai/#3dd4a2814515
https://www.forbes.com/sites/markminevich/2020/03/19/the-women-defining-the-21st-century-ai-movement-part-2-of-2/
- Novels about the present of Women and Technology
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Organisations for women in AI all around the world
WAI (Women in AI) is a nonprofit working towards a gender-inclusive AI that benefits global society. https://www.womeninai.co/
WomenOfAI.org is a nonprofit providing events & a newsletter to a global community that supports women’s career success in AI. https://womenofai.org/
For The Women Foundation is a Philippine nonprofit providing free data science and AI training for Women. https://www.ftwfoundation.org/
Women Leading in AI brings together female thinkers, scientists, academics, businesswomen, politicians to influence the future of AI https://womenleadinginai.org/
- Why are women like you seen as important in the future of AI technology found in Sex Robots? (ANSWERED THROUGH THE FUTURES STUDIES THEORETICAL CONCEPTS)
One the main purpose of “Futures Studies is not always about dealing with the crisis, sometimes it involves asking what actions can be taken to change a stable and steady situation for the better? » (Moore, 2020, Week 4 Lecture)
We are currently living in a ‘cyberculture’, which can be defined as « how we react to technologies, such as electronic, digital and networked ones, how we shape their use, regulate their effects, and develop laws, customs, habits and beliefs and otherwise incorporate these technologies into our lives » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture). In other words, cyberculture is the experience of « satellites, computers, mobile phones, the internet, facial recognition, robots, AI and so on » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture). One of the main underlying elements of the cyberculture is cybernetics, which « is the science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture). In order to develop this science correctly, there are four main points that Norbert Weiner highlights:
- « In the cybernetic perspective, the first point is that systems have goals, [and that means that systems are defined by clear boundaries] » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture).
- « The second point is that systems actively aim towards their goals, that is their function, [but to function correctly, systems must have some kind of sensor to be able to orient itself towards that goal] » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture).
- « The third point in the cybernetic perspective is the idea that environments disrupt systems and can cause a system to deter from its goal. [This means that systems depend on the information flow between the environment and their sensors to operate successfully] » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture).
- « Finally, systems use information to respond through feedback loops to correct the detour. [This means that all systems respond through feedback loops] and this applies to everything from basic organisms to complex robots, and the human brain » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture).
*Feedback loops: « the cybernetic machines detect changes in the environment, and it enacts its mechanics to make a correction and steer the system back to the point at which the environment and the machine are in equilibrium » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture).
By getting involved in the AI industry will automatically affect the cybernetics, as AI is an emerging technology that we still yet have to find data on how it’s best to interact with and to use it in our everyday life. In other words, you have the chance to put forwards a new goal that we can lean towards for the future years or to alter the current one that is leading our scientific and futuristic ones. How can you do that? You can do so by bringing into light new information through conducting research and getting involved in the field. By doing so, this new information will destabilise the current equilibrium that we hold on AI technologies in our cyberculture and forced it to make some corrections to reach this new goal, YOUR new goal. Indeed, if you are worried about the current direction that we are leaning towards in terms of the future of sex robots, and you are interested in the AI industry, I push you and I encourage you to go and make a change by getting into the core of this field. Indeed, as Bateson argues, “we never see how system works by standing outside of it”. In the end, « the cybernetic perspective is especially valuable for thinking about the future, as it asks us to contemplate the types of information we have available, and the types of systems that we can access, both biological and mechanical, for processing that information and creating new ideas about the future » (Moore, 2020, Week 7 Lecture).
Finally, I leave you with an inspiring article highlighting inspiring and defining women of the AI industry: https://www.vogue.com/projects/13548844/women-in-ai/.
And to all the other readers, read this carefully:
“Women tend to excel at the qualities the new world of work demands. So a tip to business leaders preparing for the future: Look out for the women. Hire them, mentor them, promote them, support them. The AI revolution won’t just be feminine—it will be powered by women »(Searles, 2018).
The Future is Female.
The Future is Now.
See you soon!
Maude
References
Minevich, M. (2020). Women Are the Key to Scaling Up AI and Data Science. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markminevich/2020/03/16/women-are-the-key-to-scaling-up-ai-and-data-science/#1dfd44de5ac8
Moore, C. (2020). Cybernetics, Cyborgs, Cyberspace and the Cyberpunks – Cybernetics. Week 7 Online Lecture, University of Wollongong, viewed 23 April 2020.
Moore, C. (2020). Multiple Futures. Week 4 Online Lecture, University of Wollongong, viewed 12 March 2020
Moore, C. (2020). Artificial Intelligence: Predictions and Revolutions. Week 11 Online Lecture, University of Wollongong, viewed 23 April 2020.
Searles, R. (2018). The Future of AI Will be Female. Quartz. Retrieved from: https://qz.com/1175985/the-future-of-ai-will-be-female/
SEX ROBOTS 