Miriam Vogel - WestExec Advisors

Miriam Vogel quoted in The Financial Times article, “Silicon Valley Reboots Its Relationship With the US Military”

"Tech groups Microsoft and Amazon have taken a similar stand on the controversial software, after pressure from employees. They said they would refuse to sell it to police forces and asked Congress to regulate the emerging technology… "'I see these battle lines being drawn, where companies are saying in their mission statements what [policies] they want to be aligned with,' says Miriam Vogel, chief executive of EqualAI, a non-profit focused on removing unconscious bias from artificial intelligence…" Read the full article [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2021-07-20T19:08:39-04:00May 16, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Miriam Vogel quoted in ABA Journal article, “AI Certification Initiatives Could Prove Very Useful to Legal Industry, Experts Say”

"Miriam Vogel, president and CEO of EqualAI, says her organization also hopes to eventually launch a certification program for responsible AI governance. "In the interim, EqualAI is seeking to have companies and organizations across industries publicly pledge to take steps to reduce bias in AI. In January, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton announced it was the first law firm to take the pledge…" Read the full article here: Full Article

Andrew Curtis2021-03-23T09:07:02-04:00March 23, 2021|Cybersecurity & Defense|

Miriam Vogel quoted in Built In article, “Why Racial Bias Still Haunts Speech-Recognition AI”

"Miriam Vogel, who is president and CEO at Equal AI, an organization that helps companies and policymakers address bias in AI, said the findings published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could have far-ranging implications for Black speakers using these systems, from being shut out of automated ordering or delivery systems, to being unfairly evaluated in job candidacy and promotion decisions. “'A lot of companies are using AI for key functions like hiring and firing, and don’t [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-07-31T21:38:43-04:00July 23, 2020|Social Impact|

Miriam Vogel quoted in IFSEC Global article, “Why AI and Facial Recognition Software Is Under Scrutiny for Racial and Gender Bias”

"In the United States the issue of bias in AI is most explosive. Writing on techcrunch.com, Miriam Vogel, President and CEO of Equal AI, believes that while racism has its historical roots, 'AI now plays a role in creating, exacerbating and hiding these disparities behind the facade of a seemingly neutral, scientific machine.' She says one solution is to ensure a more diverse tech workforce – particularly in gender and race – but that recent data show that the proportion of [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-08-01T12:14:32-04:00July 20, 2020|Social Impact|

Miriam Vogel writes in Tech Crunch: “Biased AI Perpetuates Racial Injustice”

"The murder of George Floyd was shocking, but we know that his death was not unique. Too many Black lives have been stolen from their families and communities as a result of historical racism. There are deep and numerous threads woven into racial injustice that plague our country that have come to a head following the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. "Just as important as the process underway to admit to and understand the origin of [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-07-31T09:17:51-04:00June 24, 2020|Social Impact|

Miriam Vogel writes in Thrive Global: “COVID-19 Could Bring Bias in AI to Pandemic Level Crisis”

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a trusted ally and partner in our daily lives. While there are countless benefits of AI, embedded bias could be determining who keeps their job, what news we see – even who lives or dies – without our even knowing it. "AI-based technology is enabling us to stay connected to our communities, order essential supplies and perform our jobs while adhering to stay-at-home orders. It ensures we’re entertained by using algorithms to [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-06-26T09:33:08-04:00June 14, 2020|News|

Miriam Vogel featured in Design Week article, “Siri, Alexa And Unconscious Bias: The Case for Designing Fairer AI Assistants”

“'I have yet to meet the person who is designing to intentionally discriminate,' Miriam Vogel tells Design Week. 'But sometimes it’s hard to admit that you’ve designed something that might have gaps and flaws in.' "Vogel is executive director of EqualAI, a US-based initiative that aims to prevent unconscious bias in artificial intelligence (AI) development. But when it comes to one of the most widespread uses of AI — voice-assistants — the machines themselves do discriminate..." Read the full article here: [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2020-01-24T08:12:34-05:00January 17, 2020|News|

Miriam Vogel quoted in NBC News article, “Artificial Intelligence Has a Gender Problem — Why It Matters for Everyone”

“‘In this bleak depiction of our future, decades of fights for civil rights and equality have been unwritten in a few lines of code,’ said EqualAI executive director Miriam Vogel at the conference in Brooklyn, N.Y., called ‘Boundary Breakers: Women Driving The Future of Tech.’ "Women and minorities are not building AI, and therefore, they are not being represented in popular algorithm-based products, according to Vogel. Algorithms find patterns throughout history, and essentially make predictions based on stereotyping, she said. Already, [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-12-13T07:46:25-05:00December 6, 2019|News|

Miriam Vogel quoted in Architectural Digest article, “The Gender Bias Behind Voice Assistants”

"... UNESCO argues that if people do, in fact, prefer the female-sounding helper, it’s mainly because we’ve been conditioned to feel more comfortable making requests of women. But by not questioning this conditioning, says Miriam Vogel, executive director of Equal AI, a nonprofit formed to address and reduce unconscious bias in the field of artificial intelligence, 'we’re teaching our next generation to double down on those stereotypes.' "...Vogel likes Q but thinks the fix isn’t quite that simple, because un-gendering AI [...]

Rebecca Skoryanc2019-11-08T15:41:10-05:00November 5, 2019|News|