UWI launches initiative to empower women in artificial intelligence

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St. Augustine Campus has launched "Her Space in AI" (HSAI), a new working group dedicated to increasing women's participation, sense of belonging, and capacity-building within the field of artificial intelligence.

The initiative was unveiled on April 23 during a panel discussion titled "Women in AI: Ghosts in the Machine," organized in honor of International Girls in ICT Day. The group, co-chaired by Amanda Zilla, operates as a collaborative research and development community. Its core mission is to foster an environment where women can acquire AI skills, build confidence, find mentors, and thrive professionally.

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The working group is being established as an inclusive and collaborative space, open to participants from the private sector, public sector, academia and the international community.

Dr. Craig Ramlal, executive director of The UWI's Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre (AIIC), emphasized the importance of inclusivity. "The working group is being established as an inclusive and collaborative space, open to participants from the private sector, public sector, academia and the international community," he stated. Ramlal highlighted that women's involvement across the AI lifecycle is crucial, as AI significantly shapes their lives. "Their participation helps ensure that potential harms, biases, and broader forms of inequality are recognised and addressed."

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Their participation helps ensure that potential harms, biases, and broader forms of inequality are recognised and addressed.

Recognizing gender bias as a significant challenge in AI, the AIIC plans to actively address this issue through HSAI. The group will focus on initiatives, campaigns, and capacity-building opportunities related to AI literacy, digital skills, the gender digital divide, and the broader impact of AI on women's lives and livelihoods. By bringing together diverse voices and expertise, HSAI aims to contribute to solutions and build capacity among future generations of girls interested in AI.

Amanda Zilla, co-chair of the working group, discussed the realities many women face locally and regionally in the AI field. She contrasted these challenges with the inclusive environment at the AIIC, which she described as a place where "persons regardless of their gender and all other identifying la

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persons regardless of their gender and all other identifying la