LinkedIn workforce knowledge exhibits that ladies are nonetheless considerably underrepresented within the Science Expertise Engineering Math (STEM). Regardless of making up nearly half (49.3%) of complete employment throughout non-STEM occupations, ladies symbolize simply 29.2% of all STEM employees.
As know-how strikes shortly, that underrepresentation shapes the know-how of tomorrow in addition to amplifies current gender bias in know-how. As Cisco’s company goal is to energy an inclusive future for all, Cisco Networking Academy chooses to take motion to deal with gender parity in tech by encouraging younger women and girls to contemplate STEM as a profession possibility.
AI shouldn’t be new
The thought of Synthetic Intelligence (AI) shouldn’t be new. Metropolis, the traditional Fritz Lang movie featured a humanoid robotic in 1927. Even in academia the curiosity in AI and machine studying dates again greater than half a century. Alan Turing wrote a paper on Computing Equipment and Intelligence in 1950.
Regardless of what looks like a protracted historical past, it took the confluence of elevated computational capability, massive knowledge, and years of analysis and coaching earlier than AI genuinely burst into the mainstream in 2023. One third of respondents to McKinsey’s World Survey final 12 months stated their organizations are utilizing generative AI usually in at the very least one enterprise operate. That is lower than a 12 months after many of those instruments debuted.
The AI revolution
AI is now seen as a revolution with organizations and other people working diligently to grasp alternatives and implications.
Together with revolutions come challenges, nonetheless. Cisco’s place on AI is that whereas there’s huge optimistic potential for humanity, we should deploy the know-how responsibly. Cisco analysis reveals there are gaps in preparedness for the AI revolution in 86 % of worldwide organizations.
In our latest Quarterly Scholar Final result Survey,* 63 % of Cisco Networking Academy college students inform us they’re utilizing AI as we speak and 17 % have already got superior abilities on this space. We’re proud our college students are at the vanguard of know-how studying. The truth is, 88 % of our college students consider Cisco Networking Academy is on the forefront of this quickly evolving tech world.
Sadly, we’re already seeing a gender hole in AI.
In keeping with the World Financial Discussion board (WEF), ladies comprise solely 22 % of AI professionals globally, solely 18 % of authors at main AI conferences are ladies, and solely 2 % of enterprise capital flowed to start-ups based by ladies in 2019.
Equally troubling, the WEF believes this gender hole in AI is self-perpetuating.
“There may be an pressing have to rebalance the state of affairs for girls in AI to keep away from biased analyzes and to construct applied sciences that have in mind the expectations and wishes of all of humanity,” says Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-Common.
Are you AI-ready?
Celebrating its tenth 12 months in 2024, Cisco Networking Academy’s Girls Rock-IT program is a world initiative geared toward closing the gender hole within the know-how business by encouraging younger ladies to pursue careers in tech.
This system highlights profitable ladies in tech as position fashions and offers free introductory tech programs via Cisco Networking Academy. Since its inception, Girls Rock-IT has seen greater than two million contributors and 870,000 course enrolments.
On Worldwide Women in ICT Day on April 25, 2024, Girls Rock-IT will host a particular occasion that goals to empower our viewers by offering instant, actionable steps to turn into AI-ready. We underscore the necessity to develop abilities to harness the huge potential of AI and machine studying for companies, public providers, and society at massive.
Cisco helps Women in ICT Day 2024
This 12 months greater than 240 Cisco volunteers are organizing occasions and welcoming native colleges to go to Cisco workplaces to see what varieties of careers can be found on the planet of tech.
Over 250 Cisco Networking instructors have registered to run courses in Introduction to Cybersecurity and Introduction to Knowledge Science as a part of a World Study-A-Thon to introduce new college students to the world of tech and to contemplate know-how as a profession pathway.
And a worldwide digital broadcast in a number of time-zones will characteristic audio system with experience in AI. These audio system are utilizing synthetic intelligence to ahead developments in areas reminiscent of nature conservation and human improvement.
Meet the audio system
We’re thrilled to announce our two audio system who’re ladies on the reducing fringe of the AI revolution:
Nadin Kokciyan — Lecturer in Synthetic Intelligence on the College of Informatics, College of Edinburgh.
Nadine is deeply concerned in moral and future-oriented research of know-how as a Senior Analysis Affiliate on the Centre for Technomoral Futures, Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Because the director of the Human-Centered AI Lab (CHAI Lab), Nadin’s work emphasizes the event and research of AI techniques that prioritize human wants and values. Moreover, her affiliations with the Synthetic Intelligence and its Purposes Institute (AIAI), the Safety and Privateness group, and the Expertise Usability Lab In Privateness and Safety (TULiPS) underline her multifaceted method to AI analysis.
Nadin goals to bridge the hole between technical AI developments and their societal implications, guaranteeing that AI improvement aligns with moral requirements and contributes positively to human welfare.
Dr. Tanya Berger-Wolf — Director of the Translational Knowledge Analytics Institute, Ohio State College
Tanya is a professor of Laptop Science Engineering, Electrical and Laptop Engineering, in addition to Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology on the Ohio State College. As a computational ecologist, her analysis is on the distinctive intersection of pc science, wildlife biology, and social sciences.
Tanya is a member of the US Nationwide Academies Board on Life Sciences and CNRS Worldwide Scientific Advisory Board, Synthetic Intelligence for Science, Science for Synthetic Intelligence (AISSA) Centre. She additionally sits on advisory boards for Conservation X Labs and the Ocean Imaginative and prescient AI (OVAI) challenge.
She can also be co-founder of the AI for wildlife conservation software program non-profit Wild Me, residence of the Wildbook challenge, which has been chosen by UNSECO as one of many high AI 100 tasks worldwide supporting the UN Sustainable Improvement Targets.
Lately, Tanya was awarded a US Nationwide Science Basis grant to determine a brand new discipline of research: Imageomics.
As a computational ecologist, her analysis is on the distinctive intersection of pc science, wildlife biology, and social sciences.
AI in all places
Synthetic Intelligence will have an effect on everybody and each enterprise. From nature conservation, to the vogue business, and training, AI will have an effect.
Be part of us for Girls Rock-IT on April 25. Begin exploring how you should utilize AI for an AI-fueled profession enhance. Hear from real-time innovators and leaders of their fields. Ask your questions and entry free entry-level programs from Cisco Networking Academy to get began straight away.
Register now for the Girls Rock-IT digital occasion on April 25!
Test registration web page on your native broadcast time.
*Primarily based on Q2 FY24 Cisco Networking Academy survey responses of 1400 college students
Share:
