AI's 'boys' club' could widen the wealth gap for women, says Rana el Kaliouby | TechCrunch

"I think AI today is a boys' club. I think diversity is not a very popular conversation topic these days, but I think it's so important because AI is creating incredible economic opportunity. If women are left out - because they're not founding these companies, because they're not getting the funding, because they're not even investing in the funds that are investing in these companies - we're going to look back five years from now or a decade from now, and we're going to have widened the economic gap like crazy."

"I don't 'just' invest in women. But I really try to seek these women founders and support them, if not by a check, but in other ways, because they're not getting the opportunity that they should and they need."

Rana el Kaliouby, an AI scientist and investor, warns that artificial intelligence has become a male-dominated field, limiting economic opportunities for women. She emphasizes that diversity in AI is critical because the field generates substantial economic value. At her investment firm Blue Tulip Ventures, three of four investments support startups led by women CEOs. El Kaliouby actively seeks and supports women founders through funding and mentorship, recognizing they face systemic barriers in securing capital and opportunities. She expresses concern that excluding women from AI company founding, funding, and investment participation will significantly widen economic disparities over the next five to ten years. Recent rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have intensified these challenges in the tech industry.

Read at TechCrunch