To give women in AI academics and others their well-deserved – and overdue – time in the spotlight, TechCrunch has published a interview series focused on remarkable women who have contributed to the AI revolution. We publish these articles throughout the year as the AI boom continues, highlighting key work that often remains overlooked. Read more profiles here.
Tara Chklovsky is the CEO and founder of Technovation, a nonprofit organization that helps teach young girls about technology and entrepreneurship. She has run the company for 17 years, finding ways to help young women use technology to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. She attended St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, before receiving a master’s degree from Boston University and a doctorate from the University of Southern California in aerospace engineering.
In short, how did you get started in AI? What attracted you to the field?
I started learning more about AI in 2016 when we were invited to the AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence) conference in San Francisco, and we had the opportunity to interview a wide range of AI researchers using AI to solve interesting problems ranging from space to stocks. Technovation is a non-profit organization and our mission is to bring the most powerful, cutting-edge tools and technologies to the most underserved communities. The AI seemed powerful and fair. So I decided to learn a lot!
We conducted a national survey of parents in 2017, asking them about their thoughts and concerns about AI, and we were blown away by how African American mothers were very interested in teaching their children about AI , more than any other demographic group. We then launched the world’s first AI education program: the AI Family Challengesupported by Google and Nvidia.
Since then, we’ve continued to learn and iterate, and we’re now the world’s only project-based AI training program with a research-based curriculum translated into 12 languages.
What work are you most proud of in the field of AI?
The fact that we are the only organization with a peer-reviewed research article on the impact of our project-based AI curriculum and have been able to deliver it to tens of thousands of girls worldwide.
How can we address the challenges of the male-dominated tech industry and, by extension, the male-dominated AI industry?
It’s difficult. We have many allies, but typically the power and influence lies with the CEOs, and they are usually men and don’t fully understand the obstacles women face at every stage. You become the CEO of a billion-dollar company based on certain characteristics, and those characteristics may not be the same as those that allow you to empathize with others.
When it comes to solutions, society is becoming more educated and both sexes are becoming more sophisticated when it comes to empathy, mental health, psychological development, etc. My advice to those supporting women in tech would be to be bolder in their investments so we can make more progress. We have enough research and data to know what works. We need more champions and defenders.
What advice would you give to women looking to enter the AI field?
Get started today. It’s so easy to start playing online with free, world-class lectures and courses. Find a problem that interests you and start learning and building. The Technovation program is also a great place to start, as it requires no prior technical training, and by the end you will have created an AI-powered startup.
What are the most pressing issues facing AI as it evolves?
(Society’s view) underserved groups as a monolithic group with no voice, agency or talent – just waiting to be exploited. In fact, we’ve found that teenage girls are some of the earliest adopters of technology and have the coolest ideas. A team of girls from Technovation created a carpooling and taxi app in December 2010. Another team from Technovation created a mindfulness and focus app in March 2012. Today, Technovation teams create apps based on AI, creating new datasets focused on groups in India, Africa and Latin America – groups that are not included in applications coming out of Silicon Valley.
Instead of viewing these countries as mere markets, consumers, and beneficiaries, we must view these groups as powerful collaborators who can help ensure that we develop truly innovative solutions to the complex problems facing humanity.
What issues should AI users be aware of?
These technologies are evolving rapidly. Be curious and take a look under the hood as much as possible by learning how these models work. This will help you become a curious and hopefully informed user.
What’s the best way to empower AI?
By forming groups that are not normally part of design and engineering teams, then building better technologies with them as co-designers and builders. It doesn’t take much more time and the final product will be much more robust and innovative for the process.
How can investors better promote responsible AI?
Foster collaborations with global nonprofits that have access to diverse talent pools so your engineers speak to a broad range of users and incorporate their perspectives.
