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Amba Kak creates policy recommendations to address AI concerns
As a part of a multi-part series, TechCrunch is highlighting women innovators — from academics to policymakers — in the field of AI.
But I like to reframe away from AI’s white dude problem not just because it’s now well known but also because it can sometimes create the illusion of quick fixes or diversity theater that on their own won’t solve the structural inequalities and power imbalances embedded in how the tech industry currently operates. This is what we’ve been doing at AI Now for close to a decade, and when we do this well, we find it difficult for policymakers and the public to look away — creating counter-narratives and alternative imaginations for the appropriate role of technology within society. This is a field that routinely and systematically will attempt to discredit critique, especially when it comes from not traditionally STEM backgrounds – and it’s easy to do given that AI is such an opaque industry that can make you feel like you’re always trying to push back from the outside.
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