AI & Diversity in Focus

Eventually, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will make us all "entrepreneurs". But at this stage, we need more women entrepreneurs to fix the gender imbalance, remove biases, demystify AI and smartly integrate it into our modern world. Where AI meets purpose responsibly and fairly, technology startups find a place to address (at least) one of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

THE STATE OF STARTUP DIVERSITY IN THE NETHERLANDS

2.362

founders in The Netherlands (2018), of which only 274

are female

The Netherlands is 7th by % of gender-diverse startups, preceded by Romania, UK, Estonia, Spain, Italy and Iceland

There are 103 AI-based technology startups in the Netherlands

WHY DO WE NEED MORE WOMEN IN THE AI & STARTUP WORLD?

Quote: Heidi Messer, Chairperson and co-Founder of Collective[i]

"Countries that lead in AI will have disproportionate advantages and impact on global outcomes. We need women founders, funders, board members and academics to be featured more in media coverage. [...] women are making a massive impact on how AI is being brought to market."

AI industries

Healthcare, financial services, retail and media & entertainment are well served by AI startups.

Health & wellbeing is a focal point for AI entrepreneurship.

In sectors including manufacturing and agriculture, entrepreneurial activity is modest relative to market opportunities.

Source: MCC Ventures

Why AI should be for Good

Watch the videos below to understand Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and why humanity needs to work towards them. AI is a powerful tool. We need to make sure that AI-based technologies that we are building are meant to enable sustainable development.

“If we fail to make ethical and inclusive AI, we risk losing gains made in civil rights and gender equity under the guise of machine neutrality.”

~Joy Buolamwini

Algorithms will make decisions that have significant ramifications for individuals’ lives, in a growing range of domains from recruitment to credit. If bias is not recognized and removed from AI systems, individuals will suffer economic loss, loss of opportunity and social stigmatization.

(Source: The State of AI 2019)

Source: Megan Smith via gendershades.org

“Coded Bias”:

Watch the interview to learn why we need to remove biases from data sets and AI algorythms

Useful resources

Become a WaiACCELERATE partner

AI Startups

The State of AI 2019: Europe’s AI startups

Europe is home to 1,600 early stage AI software companies.

AI entrepreneurship is becoming mainstream.

(Source: The State of AI 2019)

Gender Diversity

TechLeap: Gender Diversity Report

A look at the current landscape of Gender Diversity in the Dutch Tech Scene

(Source: TechLeap.nl, October 2019)

Investment

Joining the dots - A map of Europe's AI ecosystem

“To move away from the current ecosystem of isolated national AI models towards a more holistic, European ecosystem with a unified voice, change is required.”

(Source: France Digitale & Roland Berger, October 2018)