Necessity is the Mother of Invention: How Black Women in Artificial Intelligence Are Redefining the Industry
Necessity is the mother of invention. And sometimes, what a person really needs is hot chocolate served to them by a robot — one named after a pop star, ideally.
Angle Bush, founder and CEO of Black Women in Artificial Intelligence (BWIAI), began her AI journey in 2019 with the idea to build a robot named Usher that could bring her cocoa. As she scoured robotics tutorial videos for ways to bring her vision to life, Bush found herself captivated by something even bigger: artificial intelligence.
"As I’m doing this research, I’m finding more about artificial intelligence, and I’m hearing it’s the fourth industrial revolution," she said.
But when Angle started attending AI events, a lack of diverse representation became glaringly obvious to her.
"I wasn’t quite seeing a full reflection of myself," she said. "Surely you can’t have a revolution without Black women."
From this realization, BWIAI was born.
The Mission
Bush joined the NVIDIA AI Podcast to share more about the organization’s mission to educate, engage, embrace, and empower Black women in the field of AI.
The Impact
Not five years after its founding, BWIAI brings together members from five continents and collaborates with key industry leaders and partners — serving as a supportive community and catalyst of change.
BWIAI and its partners offer hands-on learning experiences and online resources to its member community. They also launched a career assessment agent to help members explore how their interests align with emerging career paths in AI, as well as technologies and coursework for getting started.
"We have people in television, we have university professors, we have lawyers, we have doctors," Bush said. "It runs the gamut because they are an example of what’s happening globally. Every industry is impacted by AI."
Initiatives
• 2:45 – Bush discusses BWIAI’s partnerships and initiatives, including its autonomous hair-braiding machine.
• 6:30 – The importance of educating, engaging, embracing, and empowering Black women in AI.
• 10:40 – Behind BWIAI’s AI career assessment agent.
• 12:10 – Bush explains how removing barriers increases innovation.
Conclusion
BWIAI’s mission is to reshape the AI community by providing a supportive environment for Black women to learn, grow, and succeed. By breaking down barriers and increasing representation, the organization is paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse AI industry.
FAQs
Q: What is the main goal of Black Women in Artificial Intelligence (BWIAI)?
A: The main goal of BWIAI is to educate, engage, embrace, and empower Black women in the field of AI.
Q: How does BWIAI achieve its mission?
A: BWIAI achieves its mission through partnerships, hands-on learning experiences, online resources, and career assessment agents.
Q: Who can join BWIAI?
A: Anyone interested in AI and passionate about diversity and inclusion can join BWIAI.
Q: What are the benefits of joining BWIAI?
A: The benefits of joining BWIAI include access to online resources, hands-on learning experiences, and career assessment agents, as well as a supportive community of like-minded individuals.
