Women from across the US, Mexico and Canada have come together to launch the Women in AI (WAI) Awards North America. The hybrid awards festivities will take place on May 13, 2022 virtually and in-person in Washington D.C. to honor female pioneers who take the road less traveled; the women who pave the way for others to reach even further, and for those who dare to dream even bigger.
The kick-off event for Women in AI Awards North America takes place virtually on February 1, 2022 at 5pm ET. Applications will open on February 1.
Special guests and panelists at the WaiAwardsNA Kick-off event (on the top) and WaiAwardsNA Steering Committee members (on the bottom)
Susan Verdiguel is the WAI Ambassador to Mexico, “The first edition of WAI Awards North America represents a meaningful step in raising the voice and the visibility of all the extraordinary women working and contributing in the field of Artificial Intelligence in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Through this collaboration, we are able to amplify the AI ecosystem in Mexico for a more robust, informed, and organized community.”
Sponsors and partners of this first-ever awards program include Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Amii - Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, Topcoder, The Institute for Education, IVOW AI and GET Cities, an initiative designed to accelerate the leadership and representation of women, trans, and nonbinary people in tech, led by SecondMuse Foundation and Break Through Tech and supported by Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company.
"The artificial intelligence sector is growing even faster than the tech sector overall; but women, trans and non-binary people are even less represented in this critical field. We know that AI and machine learning are the future, and we know the risks of not including diverse perspectives in designing solutions for this future. At GET Cities, we connect and catalyze others who are accelerating the leadership and impact of women, trans and non-binary people in tech. And that's why we're thrilled to be a strategic partner for the Women in AI Summit and to celebrate all of the amazing people leading the way in co-creating an inclusive tech economy." - Leslie Lynn Smith, National Director of GET Cities
If you’d like to support this effort please write to us at waiawardsna@womeninai.co and we will be in touch.
Application for nominations open on February 1, 2022 for the following categories:
AI in Startups, AI in Research, AI for Good, AI in Government, AI in Industry and Young role model in AI. Visit our website for more information.
“Women are shaping the artificial intelligence industry in ways that are astonishing,” says Davar Ardalan, CEO of IVOW AI and Senior Advisor to the Women in AI (WAI) North America, “Our ultimate goal is to recognize the role women are playing in AI and to encourage more young women to enter the field of computer science and AI.”
Our advisors group includes: Microsoft Canada, Mastercard, Responsible AI Institute, The United States Department of Labor and Howard University in Washington D.C. and IBM in Mexico City.
“Women in AI is on a mission to accelerate the greater need of building a diverse and inclusive AI workforce, which is imperative for building responsible products at scale”, says Frincy Clement, the WAI Ambassador for Canada. “This collaborative endeavour of Women in AI chapters in US, Canada and Mexico, will provide an exclusive platform and opportunity for every women AI professional across North America, no matter their age, role or field of work, to be nominated and recognized for their remarkable contributions in AI, thus inspiring more women to choose a career in AI”.
“Our diverse communities at the grassroots level drive amazing societal impact by applying AI, ML and Data Science integrated with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” notes Bhuva Subram, Founder of Wallet Max and the Regional Head of Women in AI North America & USA, “And it is our honor to celebrate women innovators from varied industries across the United States, Mexico and Canada; and thus globally empower changemakers to pay it forward for the upcoming generations of girls in STEM.”
In May 2022, the official AI storyteller for the WAI Awards will be Sina, a Google Assistant and Facebook Messenger conversational storyteller being built by journalists at IVOW. Sina loves learning about famous women in history and sharing those stories with others.
About Women in AI:
Women in AI (WAI) is a global network of female experts and professionals in the field of Artificial Intelligence working towards inclusive AI that benefits a global society. Through empowerment, knowledge and active collaboration, WAI has grown into a recognized global platform of 8500+ members across 140+ countries with over 200 volunteers and led by prominent and influential women in Artificial Intelligence.
- Alessandra Sala [Women in AI - Global President]
- Bhuva Subram [Women in AI - NAR & USA Ambassador]
- Davar Ardalan [Women in AI - NAR Senior Advisor]
- Susan Verdiguel [Women in AI - Mexico Ambassador]
- Frincy Clement [Women in AI - Canada Ambassador]
For more information about WAI Awards North America, visit www.womeninai.co/waiawardsna or email waiawardsna@womeninai.co
LinkedIn: WAI Global | WAI USA | WAI Canada | WAI Mexico