On January 15, 2021, community leaders who focus on elevating women in STEM shared exciting initiatives and opportunities for women in AI and showcased the province-wide approach to developing female leadership in AI.

Speakers shared more information about each women-exclusive initiative, why they are important, the relevance of women-led voices in the tech industry, and how to get involved with each of these initiatives.

This event featured Christy Holtby (Managing Director - Investments and Partnerships, Amii) moderating a series of presentations from guest speakers:

Yasmin Jivraj (Co-Chair, AlbertaWomen.AI) and Bernie Kollman (Co-Chair, AlbertaWomen.AI & Chapter Leader - Edmonton, Women in AI)

With decades of experience in the STEM field, Yasmin and Bernie echo the difficulty of women working within the industry. They offer advice for young professionals just starting out in this field, including: getting out of your comfort zone, commiting to new opportunities to progress your career and building your network with like-minded people.

Maya Marcus-Sells (Executive Director, AI4Good Lab)

AI4Good Lab, brought to you by CIFAR and OSMO, is a non-profit machine learning training program that brings together a cohort of women who study at the undergraduate level and have prior experience with coding and advanced math. The program offers a robust intro to AI in two independent program streams happening concurrently this year – one in Montréal (in collaboration with our friends at Mila) and a new pilot program launching in Edmonton, hosted by Amii. For more info, please visit: ai4goodlab.com.

Destani Engel (Program Coordinator, Talent, Amii)

Last year, Amii piloted the AlbertaWomen.AI program to increase representation in the AI community and introduced young women to various companies in Alberta working within the AI industry. As Amii’s Program Coordinator, Talent, Destani plays a key role in helping to build Alberta’s AI talent pool.

Danielle Gifford (Chapter Leader - Calgary, Women in AI)

Women in AI (WAI) is a global initiative and a non-profit “do tank” that works to ensure a gender-inclusive and ethical AI ecosystem. With 6,000 members across 150 countries, the initiative represents women from all levels of expertise, and elevates women’s voices through mutual support and mentorship. For more info, please visit: womeninai.co.

If you missed the 30-minute event, watch it now: