ETH and GZA present 100 women as role models in AI

(CONNECT) The report "Top 100 Women in AI + Data in Switzerland" aims to show that women in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) are crucial for fair, trustworthy and innovative systems: "The more diverse the teams, the less bias, the better the results - and the smarter the AI," says the report, which was presented by the Greater Zurich Area(GZA) and the ETH AI Center of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH) at the start of the Zurich AI Festival.

It presents 100 women who have demonstrated leadership qualities and project responsibility in the fields of AI and data in Switzerland and have contributed to the further development of the technology - with a focus on industry, start-ups and science. According to Melanie Gabriel, Co-Director and COO of the ETH AI Center, the result shows: "Women are shaping the entire AI ecosystem, from basic research to corporate management."

Bringing them together and presenting them in this report creates role models that inspire young talent in particular, she says. This is not just about women, but about diversity in general: perspectives, backgrounds, experiences. "If you take innovation seriously, you have to make diversity visible - only then will you have the power to open up new fields with new solutions."

In the report, Daniel Naeff, Head of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the ETH AI Center, also points out that diversity is not just a question of fairness, but of quality and competitiveness: "By making these outstanding women visible, we are highlighting pioneering leaders in industry, transformative leaders in government and creators of social impact and advocacy through NGOs and entrepreneurs who are driving breakthrough innovation."

More than 5,000 visitors from Switzerland and abroad are expected at the Zurich AI Festival from September 29 to October 4, according to the GZA in its announcement: "The first Zurich AI Festival will give the city and canton of Zurich an international format that can compete with events such as TechWeek in London, Robotics Week in Boston, VivaTech in Paris and SusHi Tech Tokyo." ce/mm