The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

AI for Diversity, Inclusive Growth and ESG

AI for Diversity, Inclusive Growth and ESG
14 March 2022
 

Applying AI methodologies to improve diversity in business is just one of the themes explored in a new business guide to AI.

Authored by AI thought-leader and advisor Katie King, “AI Strategy for Sales and Marketing” poses an important question – given the inevitable disruption AI implementation will bring, how can we ensure inclusive growth and innovation as result?

 

"Globalisation and new technologies have deepened the divide between the haves and have-nots in advanced economics and immediate action is needed to readdress this balance of power”

–Katie King

AI Consultant

 

 

Human-Centred AI That Does Not Oppress

 

The book explores several critical issues facing businesspeople today and evaluates both bad and good practices seen in AI implementations.

As Katie writes: “The world is changing and the old rules are becoming outdated. The rule-makers are sometimes missing, or no longer fit for purpose. Globalisation and new technologies have deepened the divide between the haves and have-nots in advanced economics and immediate action is needed to readdress this balance of power”.

Part of the journey of adopting AI within a business setting includes challenging these “old rules”. A diverse workforce will be needed to develop future AI solutions and contribute to a setting where AI is inclusive and equal.  Additionally, AI will be crucial in reskilling the current generation with the skills needed to remain relevant.

Diversity and education are featured extensively in the book, and a selection of contributors shared their insights with an audience of peers at the book’s official launch at Rolls-Royce’s soon-to-be-opened R² Factory.

This included Lord Clement-Jones CBE, the former Chair of the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence and current Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence, of which King is also a member.

He explained: “In my view, AI can and should contribute positively to a purposeful form of capitalism which is not simply the pursuit of profit, but where companies deploy AI in an ethical way for a purpose. If organisations are going to retain stakeholder trust, they need to adopt an overarching ethics framework which ensures that principles such as beneficial purpose, personal privacy, transparency of use, data privacy, explainability and bias are addressed.”

 

Image

Picture: a photograph of Lord Clement-Jones and Katie King. Image Credit: AI in Business

 

Could AI Eliminate the Diversity Gap in Tech?

 

Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls, a social impact company that is on a mission to eliminate the diversity gap in tech by providing free education and economic opportunities to women globally, also spoke at the launch. Anna praised Katie’s exploration into diversity and AI, and described how inclusive workforces directly impact innovation.

“Diversity and inclusion in tech can no longer be a ‘tick box’ activity. Instead, it now represents a competitive advantage for companies. This is particularly true for organisations that are developing technology, such as AI, that is likely to have a lasting impact on civilisation. At Code First Girls, we hear first-hand the impact that a truly diverse and inclusive workforce has on the development of products and culture.

“We have seen a huge interest from both Uni grads and career-switchers taking part in our Nanodegree and +Masters programmes. These programmes not only place women into roles across a range of tech companies and industries, but they also provide the skills and knowledge to go into specialisations, such as AI, and ultimate drive real action to close the diversity gap in tech.”

Speaking about the launch event, Katie explained: “Debates like this are crucial because AI is one of the most influential business disruptions we will experience in our lifetime.  The panel and attendees represent numerous industries and are at various stages of their AI adoption journey but eager to keep innovating. That is at the heart of my new book: helping to make this technology both accessible and relevant for professionals across all job functions including sales and marketing, and introducing them to vendors such as Phrasee, and to methodologies for applying AI to their business.”

AI Strategy for Sales and Marketing is available directly from Kogan Page, and you can use the discount code AMKAI20 for 20 per cent off all of Katie King’s books: https://www.koganpage.com/author/katie-king

Picture: a photograph of Katie King alongside members of her family. Image Credit: AI in Business

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 14 March 2022

Share



Related Articles

Katie King – AI Strategy for Sales and Marketing

Despite artificial intelligence having a firm place on the business agenda, many struggle with how to scale and strategise its opportunities. In her new book, Katie King...

 Read Full Article
Infogrid Acquires Aquicore to Strengthen ESG Reporting Offering 

UK smart building technology firm Infogrid has announced the acquisition of Aquicore, an ESG data and analytics company. The acquisition will merge...

 Read Full Article
Is the Use of AI in the Workplace Ethical?

A report by the Trades Union Congress says new protections are “urgently needed” to regulate the use of AI in workplaces. AI can be utilised by employers...

 Read Full Article
Harnessing The Power Of AI - New Book Launched

A much needed guide to AI is how RICS have described a new book by Katie King which focuses on AI in marketing but references facilities management - an area the author...

 Read Full Article
How FMs Can Harness The Power Of AI

Katie King, whose new book, Using Artificial Intelligence in Marketing, has just been published, has written exclusively for ThisWeekinFM on the impact AI is having in...

 Read Full Article
Half of Workplaces Lack Facilities to Support Menopausal Workers

A design company has surveyed 2,000 office workers who experience menstruation or menopause to explore how workplace design can better support them. People of...

 Read Full Article
1 in 4 Construction Workers Consider Themselves to be Neurodivergent

A report commissioned by The National Federation of Builders shows that neurodiversity is not only common amongst construction workers, but being neurodivergent is...

 Read Full Article
JLL Launches First GPT AI Model for Commercial Real Estate

Global commercial real estate and investment management company JLL has unveiled JLL GPT, the first large language model purpose-built for the commercial real estate...

 Read Full Article
CIPD Champions Menopause Friendly Workplaces

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is collaborating with Helen Tomlinson, the UK government’s first Menopause Employment Champion, to champion...

 Read Full Article
RIBA Publishes Inclusive Design Guide for the Built Environment

The Royal Institute of British Architects has published new guidance to ensure that inclusion and accessibility are considered at every stage of the design and...

 Read Full Article