Women in Data Science & Social Science - WINDS
Women Shaping the Future of AI for Society
Women have made significant contributions to the development of machine learning and AI for society, but their voices and influence are underrepresented. We insist on a world where female voices exercise real authority over which type of AI is built, whose societal needs it addresses, and how it is used in society.
Mission: to make the female voice on AI for society heard. We connect women working on AI for society in Data Science and Social Science, and develop natural pathways from mentorship to collaboration to impact.
Team
Dr Chiara Binelli, WINDS Program Director
Ananya Jogalekar, WINDS junior researcher
Farnoosh Memari, WINDS junior researcher
What we do
Mapping Women’s Contributions to Artificial Intelligence Using Large-Scale Text Analysis
We are developing the first computational mapping of women’s
contributions to AI research in Social Science. Using a large sample of papers
published in Social Science journals between 2015 and 2024, we find that
female-led AI research differs significantly from male-led AI research in two
key aspects:
● It coves more diverse topics than male-led studies and the field average.
● Women prominently focus on issues of wide significance, such as AI’s policy
implications, explainability, and AI’s consequences and impacts, not just its
mechanisms.
Why does it matter?
Participation in AI research shapes which type of AI is built, whose societal
needs it addresses, and how it is used in society. The female voice on AI in
research differs significantly from the field's average. Women should sit at
the decision-making tables and shape the societal impacts of AI.
Goals
- Facilitate joint ventures among women working at the intersection of AI and society.
- Organize and promote dissemination activities on building inclusive AI for society.
- Provide resources for mentorship and career development from students to professionals.
- Be a strong, representative force that shapes priorities, sets the agenda, and leads the societal impact of AI.
Target Audience
WINDS targets a set of audiences working at the intersection of data science and social science. Its primary target audiences include:
- Researchers applying AI and machine learning in social contexts.
- Students seeking training, mentorship, and career pathways in data-intensive social science.
- Practitioners using data science for policy analysis, decision-making, and socially oriented applications.
- Researchers and professionals engaged in responsible AI, and in the ethical, methodological, and societal implications of data-driven systems.
Your contribution supports:
- Career development: connect with professionals in data science and social science; develop and promote a speaker series of established female leaders in AI and society.
- Project incubator: promote joint ventures among women working at the intersection of AI and society.
- Outreach program: promote and amplify the female voice on AI development, access and use through conferences, workshops and public lectures that connect WINDS community and promote emerging talent.
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