In an exciting panel discussion, IT experts Dr. Nicole Najemnik, Dr. Ece Özkan Elsen, Prof. Dr. Nicola Marsden, and Dr. Ramona Casasola-Greiner exchanged ideas under the moderation of Prof. Dr. Marion Meinert (all from right).
Opening ceremony for this year's informatica feminale BW – keynote speech on gender-equitable AI
The F.I.T. (Frauen.Innovation.Technik.) network has been coordinated by Furtwangen University (HFU) for 25 years. Since 2001, the working group has been committed to increasing the proportion of women in the natural sciences and engineering through various measures. Female students of STEM subjects – especially IT, computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and other engineering sciences – can find current continuing education opportunities in the F.I.T. network, for example, as part of the Winter School meccanica feminale and the Summer School informatica feminale Baden-Württemberg.
The anniversary was celebrated with a ceremony in the Neckarhalle in Schwenningen – a successful mix of an inspiring programme and networking opportunities.
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Busolt from HFU extended a warm welcome to the numerous guests and thanked the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science for its long-standing support, “It is unusual for a project to be funded for so many years.” The rest of the evening showed how topical and necessary the issue of equality in IT still is. Busolt presented study results in impressive graphics, showing that around 56 percent of female IT professionals have already experienced their competence being questioned because of their gender. “There are definitely positive developments,” said Busolt, referring to the rising number of female first-year students in computer science. However, the number of women who feel they do not receive sufficient support is “still far too high.”
HFU President Dr. Alexandra Bormann then congratulated the F.I.T. network on its 25th anniversary in her welcoming speech. The topic of “women in male-dominated professional environments” is a personal concern of hers – Bormann has been the first woman at the helm of the HFU now for a year and a half. “That's why networks are such important, supportive structures,” she emphasised. “We need women at universities, colleges, and in companies – because our different perspectives, experiences, and socializations create a diversity that is not only enriching but indispensable.”
A special video message came from Minister of Science Petra Olschowski. She emphasised the importance of the female perspective in research – especially in key technologies such as artificial intelligence. Olschowski appealed to the female experts present to pass on their enthusiasm for computer science.
As keynote speaker, Dr. Ramona Casasola-Greiner offered an exciting insight into the topic “Women and Artificial Intelligence – what feminists need to know about AI.” Using impressive examples, she showed how social problems such as sexism and prejudice are reproduced in AI systems – for example, through training data that contains existing discrimination.
Her examples ranged from unequal salary proposals for equal qualifications to algorithms that tend to favour men for leadership positions, to deepfakes and sex robots that massively distort images of women. Their clear demand – more attention and awareness of these issues is needed. One possible way forward is to consciously diversify teams—regardless of the context.
In the subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Dr. Marion Meinert (HFU), IT experts Dr. Ramona Casasola-Greiner, Prof. Dr. Nicola Marsden, Dr. Nicole Najemnik, and Dr. Ece Özkan Elsen deepened the discussion. They highlighted different facets of inequality in IT and pointed out how important it is for society as a whole to address this issue.
Inspired by the ideas presented, the guests used the evening for further discussions, networking, and brainstorming ideas for collaborations.
The ceremony marked the start of this year's informatica feminale BW, which has been taking place at HFU since Wednesday.