Victorians were once again recognised in the annual Women in AI (WAI) awards for their achievements in emerging technology. The WAI Awards 2023 plays a crucial role in enhancing the reputation and visibility of women in AI within the Asia-Pacific region. It also offers a platform to talented women who have started their own businesses with AI-based products. Among the winners were these inspiring Victorians from across the public and private sectors. Taking out the awards in Education, Sports, Mining and Infrastructure. Congratulations to them all! 🏆 AI in Education Dr Wafa Johal A Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne and ARC DECRA Fellow, Dr Johal's research is in Human-Robot Interaction, designing and developing computational solutions to make robots useful and acceptable by end users. Dr Wafa Johal (L) and Roy Johal (R) at the Women in AI Awards, Source LinkedIn Post June 2023 "Humbled and honoured to have received the Women in AI Award in the Education category.Thanks to my collaborators and teammates. I am also grateful that my husband Roy Johal was with me for this moment - his support helps me tremendously; he pushes me and challenges me to take risks and try new things, and he helps me to learn from my failures.#grateful Education is a pillar of our society and we need to push for a positive use of AI for and by learners. In the ChatGPT era, in which AI can be used to cheat a lot of exams, I am happy that my team and I are doing research on how we could leverage AI and robotics to build interactive adaptive experience for our students." Dr Wafa Johal, University of Melbourne 🏆 AI in Sport - Alice Sweeting A Lecturer in Sports Science and Analytics, Alice also completed her PhD in 2016 which focused on tradio-frequency tracking and data mining techniques to profile the movement patterns of elite and junior-elite netball athletes. "Congratulations to all winners and finalists, including my co-finalist Elisa! Thank you to Women in AI and the sponsors for making these Awards possible. Thanks to all my colleagues, collaborators, family and students! Special thanks to Professor Di Cook, for nominating and encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone." Alice Sweeting, Victoria University 🏆 AI in Mining - Malgorzata Sikora As Data Science Lead, Malgorzata is a creative and innovative data scientist passionate about the mining industry, and aims to utilise data to help build strong, inclusive, and sustainable businesses. "I’m deeply honoured to win this prestigious award. It is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion I have poured into my AI journey. This recognition motivates me to push boundaries, drive innovation, and empower others to make a lasting impact in AI." Malgorzata Sikora, Newcrest Mining 🏆 AI in Infrastructure - Orla Glynn As Executive - AI, Reporting, Insights and Automation Configuration at Telstra, Orla has a wealth of experience in implementing intricate strategic roadmaps and transformation programs. Orla strives to make innovation a deliberate process. "Thrilled to be a WAI Awards winner! Culturally diverse and adaptive teams are pivotal to our success, fostering inclusivity and leveraging diverse perspectives that drive innovation and problem-solving. This recognition highlights the significance of diverse teams in advancing AI and achieving exceptional results." Orla Glynn, Telstra About the Women in AI Awards The Women in AI (WAI) is a non-profit organisation striving for inclusive AI that positively impacts society worldwide. As a community-based effort, they aim to empower, educate, and foster active collaboration through various channels such as education, research, events, and blogging. Nominations are sought from inspiring women who are working, leading, creating or demonstrating innovation in AI in the following sectors: Industry, Government, Universities, Research institutes, Startups or NGOs The WAI Award categories recognise and honour achievements based on the following AI technologies: Speech, image and video recognition Autonomous objects Natural language processing Conversational agents Prescriptive modelling Virtual and augmented creativity Smart automation Advanced simulation Data monitoring Complex analytics and predictions Robotics Machine-learning Additive manufacturing. IoT Women in AI Advisory Group Australia, Source Women in AI
Gender bias is inherent in technology from AI to digital assistants, it impacts us in ways we might not even realise. Technology reflects its makers and will never be equal or representative of communities while there is a lack of diversity in the development teams that are building it. When we boost the representation of women and girls in STEM, we all benefit from their wealth of unique ideas, perspectives and talents. Products may not capture the needs of half of the population if women are not on the design teams. Bias and existing inequities can grow if data fed to AI does not include contributions from women. The bias is real, and the ways this appears can be shocking. And we know this lack of diversity and underrepresentation exists. IWD2023 ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future’. Based on the priority theme for the United Nations 67th Commission on the Status of Women – Cracking the Code highlights the role that bold, transformative ideas, inclusive technologies, and accessible education can play in combatting discrimination and the marginalisation of women globally. Find out more about how the Victorian Government is #CrackingTheCode here. Women in AI (WAI) Awards APAC This #IWD2023 the UN calling for inclusive technologies and accessible education for women and girls with the theme #CrackingTheCode. One way that we can address bias is by recognising women and the Women in AI Awards plays an important part in creating a gender equal future. In its inaugural year in 2021, the Women in AI (WAI) Awards AI in Innovation award was won by Victorian, Yolande Strengers, Associate Professor of Digital Technology and Society at Monash University - who was recognised for her research and interventions into the gendered problems with digital voice assistants - where she currently leads the Energy Futures program. In 2023 will honour the top Women in AI in the Asia-Pacific the pioneers who are taking the road less travelled; the women who are paving the way for others to reach even further and to dare to dream even bigger. Committed to supporting and rewarding excellence to Women in AI, the WAI Awards 2023 will be prestigious in their recognition and vital in building the credibility and exposure for Women in AI in the Asia-Pacific. Applications close at midnight GMT (+5:30) Friday 31 March 2023. Find out more here. Why Smart Home Devices Need a Feminist Reboot These issues are top of mind for leading Victorian researchers Professor Yolande Strengers from Monash University and Dr Jenny Kennedy from RMIT University. Their book The Smart Wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and Other Smart Home Devices Need a Feminist Reboot examined the life and times of the Smart Wife—feminized digital assistants who are friendly and sometimes flirty, occasionally glitchy but perpetually available. Strengers and Kennedy remind us that the design of gendered devices reinscribes outdated and unfounded stereotypes and that advanced technology is taking us backwards on gender equity. They offer a Smart Wife “manifesta,” proposing a rebooted Smart Wife that would promote a revaluing of femininity in society in all her glorious diversity. Get the book here or watch their Talks at Google session.