• Following gender equality principles, MKAI is pleased to announce the partnership with UN Women to implement the “Women’s Empowerment Principles.”
• As a result of this collaboration, many women in the MKAI community will benefit from empowerment strategies in their personal and professional development, as well as advancement in their careers in the AI field
• Greater gender diversity in AI is beneficial to the sector’s transparency and fairness and can act as a catalyst for economic productivity and growth.
With the Women’s Empowerment Principles adoption, MKAI has joined over 3,000 other business leaders worldwide in collaborating with UN Women on the critical journey toward gender equality. Using these principles, businesses can promote gender equality and empower women at work, the marketplace, and in their communities. The WEPs are the result of a joint initiative between UN Women and the UN Global Compact.
MKAI aims to be a role model and enabler for other AI companies looking to empower women in the field. Increasing the number of female AI engineers and managers will help find the right balance in the AI field and serve as a catalyst for raising awareness about the importance of incorporating human values into AI systems that are equitable and accessible to all.
In a multi-year programme, and partnership with UN Women and MKAI member associations, MKAI will implement the WEPs across three distinct workstreams:
• Equal treatment of all gender MKAI employees.
• Representation of women in MKAI’s internal decision-making bodies and external engagement.
• Women in MKAI Forums that encourage the promotion of best practices in the field of human intelligence in a multi-year program and partnership with
Implementing the WEPs will involve a series of events and blogs that have already started in 2021.
Testimonials from MKAI leaders
“MKAI’s mission is to Integrate Sustainable Human Values into Artificial Intelligence. When we think about human values, human-centred, we must think women-centred. When a woman is successful, she expands it to her family, community, society, and everybody thrives. The number of women has to increase for a more trustworthy AI industry. MKAI and Women in MKAI work to mitigate gender stereotypes, including more and more women into the AI conversation and valuing different ways of thinking. Diversity is what we live and breathe. Women are a very heterogeneous group and must be respected and valued as so, no matter the culture, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, sexual orientation, rather if the woman is a migrant, refugee, or in which part of the world she is.”
Karen Beraldo, Director of Communications and Partnerships
“Lack of diversity in AI has reached a moment of reckoning. According to findings published by a New York University research centre “AI has had a diversity disaster that has contributed to flawed systems that perpetuate gender and racial biases. The industry has to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and admit that its existing methods have failed to address these problems.
This research affects all of us. We are constantly exposed to the societal challenges associated with biases in data, digital invasions of privacy, and invisible black-box AI algorithms that make decisions about our lives and whether we can access opportunities. The time for diverse perspectives is now, yet the AI industry is still 80% dominated by one gender, lacks neurodiversity and does not represent the people it needs to serve.
MKAI is the artificial intelligence community that connects diverse minds and delivers impactful community-led projects to make artificial intelligence (AI) more inclusive, accessible and rooted in sustainable human values.”
Richard Foster-Fletcher, Chair and Founder
For more info on the principles:
About MKAI:
MKAI is an inclusive community of diverse thinkers that together are shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence. One of the core values is championing diversity and inclusion in Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has had a diversity disaster that has contributed to flawed systems that perpetuate gender and racial biases. MKAI acknowledges the gravity of the situation and is committed to including diverse contributors to everything we do.
Also, we’re actively supporting AI developments that integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We believe that organizations globally must develop artificial intelligence that goes further than just creating profit. MKAI wants to see all organizations and companies factoring the UN SDGs into development and innovation.
Finally, we’re operating with transparency and fairness while creating awareness that AI, where possible, should be explainable, transparent, fair, and ethical.
About the Women’s Empowerment Principles:
What was the foundation for women’s empowerment?
Gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, market, and community are promoted by the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP). Based on international labour and human rights standards, the WEPs recognize that businesses stake in gender equality and women’s empowerment and are responsible for promoting them.
The WEPs are a primary corporate vehicle for delivering the 2030 Agenda and UN Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality. The CEO’s membership in the WEP community demonstrates his commitment to working collaboratively in multi-stakeholder networks to foster business practices that empower women.
The reason for workspace equality:
- Increase awareness of human rights and take action to ensure they are being upheld: That’s all there is to it. Gender parity at work, in the marketplace, and in society helps to realize Agenda 2030. In the long run, it’s beneficial to everybody.
- A company’s financial performance, market share, and stock return are all enhanced when women are equally represented at all levels of the organization.
- To maintain a high level of competence: Equal pay for equal work improves retention, reduces absenteeism and turnover, and promotes more equal promotion practices for men and women alike.
- Companies that promote gender equality are more productive, profitable, and have a better reputation, which is why investors reward them with higher stock prices. They also have higher expectations of companies and prefer to invest in those that balance purpose and profit while satisfying all stakeholders.
Website: www.empowerwomen.org/weps Twitter: @WEPrinciples