Women account for only an estimated 12 percent of researchers.
Copyright by www.forbes.com
Women account for about half the world’s population and nearly 47 percent of the U.S. workforce. But when it comes to the people researching and creating —a technology with growing influence in everyday life—women account for only an estimated 12 percent of researchers.
That’s why many leaders in the field warn that gender bias can creep into algorithms. To change that dynamic, they are engaged in a variety of efforts to raise awareness and encourage more women—and members of other under-represented groups—to join the profession. Lisa Amini: “We’re seeing that driven by is transforming how we live, how we work and how we socialize with others.” The problems of gender bias in
News reports have also told of
“We’re seeing that
Bias can find its way into an
The biggest problem, though, isn’t the data or the algorithms. It’s the blind spots created by a lack of diversity—of experience, education and thought—within teams developing
Cultivating Diverse Perspectives
“Computer science is one of the largest growing fields with an important impact on day-to-day life for everybody,” says Carla Brodley, dean of Northeastern University’s
Khoury College of Computer Sciences. “That’s why it’s so important for everybody—particularly under-represented groups—to have an invitation to the table when it comes to
Northeastern offers a program, Align, that enables students without a computer science undergraduate degree to earn a master’s in that field.
“The current pipeline of computer science students is insufficient to meet the demand for tech-trained people in the workplace, worldwide,” Brodley says, adding that programs similar to Align are expected to launch next year at Columbia University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. […]
1 Comment