Celebrating the Women of IBM AI Ethics
For more than 100
years, IBM's founding principles have inspired efforts to promote equality,
fairness and inclusion in the workplace and society. The company has lived the
value of "respect for the individual" by championing employment
practices that reward ability over identity and that make work more attainable
for all.
In 1935,
approximately twenty years after IBM was founded, it began hiring women into
professional roles. Three decades before the US Equal Pay Act of 1963, IBM's
CEO, Thomas J. Watson Sr., stated, "Men
and women will do the same kind of work for equal pay. They will have the same
treatment, the same responsibilities, and the same opportunities for
advancement."
Through the years,
many women have held leadership roles at IBM, including former CEO, Ginni
Rometty. Women have played key roles in initiatives throughout the
organization, including the rise of AI.
"Women
are as capable as anybody else to contribute to the technical development of
AI, and they also care deeply about the impact of AI on people and society.
This combination is exactly what we need now, to design and build a future with
purpose, where technology supports human values rather than the opposite. An
increased presence of women in AI will also make it fairer and more inclusive.
A multi-disciplinary approach to AI education is fundamental to help women
understand that this is a great match for their talent and passion." -Francesca Rossi, IBM Fellow, AI Ethics Global
Leader, IBM Research
As IBM continued to
research and develop AI, it became clear that along with the positive aspects
of the technology, there were also potential issues that needed attention.
"AI will have a transformative impact on everyday life, business and
more. As with other technologies, there are ethical components that must be
followed to build systems based on trust," says Justina Nixon-Saintil,
Chief Impact Officer and AI Ethics Board member at IBM. "In our
historical experience at IBM, we know women play a fundamental role in shaping
the future. That's why two women IBMers led the way when we established our AI
Ethics Board, and that's why we are using our technology and expertise to
empower more girls and women in ethical AI, among many other areas."
Since 2019, the AI
Ethics Board has been co-chaired by two leaders: Christina Montgomery (Vice
President, Chief Privacy and Trust Officer) and Francesca Rossi (IBM Fellow,
and AI Ethics Global Leader). Their unique backgrounds and views have helped
the Board instill governance and a culture of ethical and responsible
technology throughout IBM.
The AI Ethics Board
is comprised of leaders from across the company, including many esteemed women
leaders. Supporting the work of the AI Ethics Board and its members are its AI
Ethics Focal Points. IBM is incredibly fortunate to have many women in
leadership at this level as well.
Along with
establishing policies and practices around AI ethics, the AI Ethics Board
sponsors workstreams, which bring together experts from across the business to
address key business challenges, questions and opportunities. These workstreams
often include women as executive sponsors.
A team of female leaders from the AI
Ethics Board and IBM's AI Ethics Project Office drew on experts from across IBM
to publish this point of view on foundation models. They also collaborated with IBM Research and
watsonx.governance™, led by Heather Gentile, Director of watsonx.governance
Product Management and AI Ethics Focal Point. Together, they developed
the AI risk atlas, which helps readers better understand the risks
of working with generative AI, foundation models and machine learning models.
"In
this unprecedented new era of global AI innovation, women are leading the
charge towards acknowledging that the importance of innovation is as much about
its impact as it is about invention. This crucial work in confronting and
mitigating the immediate and long-term risks that AI poses to our society is
setting the standards for how we, as a global community, approach the
integration of AI into our lives." -Christina
Montgomery, IBM Chief Privacy & Trust Officer
For six years in a
row, IBM has been listed as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by
Ethisphere. This recognition reflects IBM's commitment to a strong governance
structure and a culture of ethics, embodied in its AI Ethics Board and AI
Ethics Focal Points. It also honors the strong women leading IBM forward.
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