My Journey From an AI Illiterate to an AI blog Co-founder
By Tawhed Bashar*
When someone mentions Artificial Intelligence (AI), what comes to your mind? Have you ever thought that “AI will take over jobs”, “AI is smarter than people” or “AI can solve any problem”? Then you are not alone. These statements are driven from the top eight AI Myths and are widely shared amongst people.
Source: https://www.aimyths.org/
Personally, my knowledge about AI was driven from the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence, portraying that robots can go out of hand. Then I got more informed, or that’s what I thought. I learnt that politicians can allegedly use AI to influence public opinion, and that my social media recommendations and ads are not a coincidence. I often felt helpless, feeling AI had power over me. Little did I know it was only the algorithm, and it is there to enhance my user experience.
“Leading with Artificial Intelligence, Ignite and build your ideas for a sustainable future”, was the headline of the virtual lab launched by the Global Leadership Academy (GLAC) and the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC/ILO), in association with FAIR Forward: Artificial Intelligence for All initiative, and sponsored by the GIZ . The Lab’s objectives were to:
Demystify the public’s perspective on AI;
Prepare for a human-centred AI future with the skills to better interact with these technologies;
Show practical applications to enhance response to global events; and
Scale up AI ideas globally through Open AI, Open Data and Open Innovation.
As someone new to the field, I was hesitant to apply. While I had no experience or background in AI, I am an eager learner, so I decided to take the opportunity. To my surprise, I was accepted and quickly learnt I was not the only beginner in the course. The Lab included more than 20% participants with little to no knowledge or experience about AI.
The AI Lab included access to valuable information to understand the foundations about AI, virtual panels with experts to exchange knowledge and ideas, as well as ‘coffee breaks sessions’, which provided opportunities to meet other participants in a more relaxed setting. As well as the community library.
Coffee Break Sessions organised by participants were the space I believe most of the co-creation happened. The space gave us the opportunity to get to know people from all over the world, reflect our insights and explore solutions. This experience had a deep effect on me and how I perceive the world of AI.
“AI and Personal Development: Education and Health”, was a coffee session organized by Kim Ochs. We started our discussion by getting to know each other, sharing our expectations about the lab and our challenges when it came to AI. The group quickly realised we not only had a lot in common, but there were also strong synergies that could be further explored. As we progressed, the idea of working on joint publications emerged, including the possibility to publish an AI book. As we progressed, the idea of working on joint publications emerged. Kim Ochs, Ernest Ortsin, Claudia Pompa, and Katharina Miller will be leading these efforts.
Documentation of “AI and Personal Development: Education and Health”, coffee session September 2020
We, as a group, also wanted to focus on something more immediate that could have a positive impact. Reflecting on our own experiences, and using our collective insights, the idea of a blog emerged as something that could capture our journey into the world of AI emerged.
In less than a month the team worked together to a MVP, Emmanuel Ejeu developed the website, Claudia Pompa shared her blogging experience, and a team of eight co-created a business model canvas. Rafael Kohler, the only one with solid AI experience, joined later on and provided reflections and realistic practical inputs into the human centered approach of the AI-dea.
Together with Jumatil Fajar and Tawhed (myself), a diverse team led by collective experience, we co-founded the Leading with AI blog to disseminate AI knowledge and information to decision makers and action takers.
The blog aims to inspire and enable AI knowledge and information to those who are able to influence policy making in issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals( SDGs) with a focus on the Global South.
If you are working in development, whether in the public, private, or civic society sector, or if you want to inform yourself of opportunities of including AI into your impact, join us in this journey to learn, explore and discuss AI and its transformative impact. Inform yourself about AI, get inspired, see what your role can be in the transformation and allow yourself to collectively Lead with AI.
You can also subscribe to this Leading with AI newsletter for weekly updates.
* Tawhed Bashar is the co-founder of a social impact company in the field of water and environmental solutions. She holds a Master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering and Management. Her practical experience includes Environmental-Social entrepreneurship, business development, construction project coordination, CFD simulation, teaching, and research assisting.
First Event of the AI Leadership Academy
18th February 2021 @ 15.00 CET (Brussels)
Equality in the digital era:
AI and anti-discrimination law in Europe
The AI Leadership Academy is an initiative aiming to inspire articles from different topics. We want to spread the knowledge that enables different stakeholders from different sectors to play a role in leading sustainable development with AI.
With the aim of achieving this goal, the Leading with AI blog founders have invited Raphaële Xenidis to share her experience in the field of AI and anti-discrimination law in Europe.
Speaker Biography: Raphaële Xenidis is currently a Marie Curie Fellow at courts at the Faculty of Law of the University of Copenhagen and a lecturer in European Union Law at the University of Edinburgh Law School. Previously, Raphaële was a researcher in equality law at the International and European Law Department of Utrecht University, where she worked for the coordination team of the European Network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination, and as a researcher with the RENFORCE research centre, the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and the Gender and Diversity Hub. Raphaële obtained her Ph.D. at the Department of Law of the European University Institute where she wrote her dissertation on the question of intersectional and multiple discrimination in EU and ECHR law.
This free, virtual event will take place on Thursday, 18th February at 15.00 CET (Brussels). Please register via this Eventbrite link.
We look forward to seeing you there to share the knowledge to lead with AI