CogX 2020: cognition next

Another year, another plug to the worlds best AI festival. Our co-founder Tabitha Goldstaub once again hooked up the fgc gang with free passes to CogX to make sure that the world of tech has the young female representation it so very much needs.

Like the years before (2018 & 2019), we had our attendees provide their learnings from CogX so fellow future girls can know what’s what when building tech and society. Keeping on scrolling for insight on tech from a female perspective and meet the girls helping make an equal future.

og members

fgc's Emily Chapps, who has been holding down the community since 2017, hosted the “Motherboard Tongue" panel interviewing an incredible line up of females to discuss how Gen Z is using the internet to communicate and what we can expect for there future communications. Watch her quiz Olivia Yallop (Creative Director at The Digital Fairy), Sonika Phakey (Social Media Director at The Digital Fairy), Damara Inglês (MBA Graduate of Fashion Media Practice and Criticism on the London College of Fashion, UAL.) and Ashely Carmen (Senior Reporter, The Verge) on what’s next in Gen Z comms below

We also had fgc member and previous CogX attendee Clementine Prendergast host the “When VR gets real: Body Image in virtual worlds” panel which took on how the ability to edit and mould bodies virtually becomes problematic for real-world expectations. Watch her discussion back 👇

the cogx 2020 community

In additional to fgc members hosting wicked panels, we had a 30 strong WhatsApp group of girls sharing their opinions and insights on what they saw at CogX. Below are reports from Phoebe Hill (PH), Aïdah De Coteau (AC), Stephanie Josephs (SJ) and Yra Lougheide (YL) who shared what they learnt over the three days.

Q1: Fave quote & who said it 

(YL) "AI is best when paired with human wisdom" - Dr Hannah Fry

(PH) Kwame Kwei-Armah (Artistic Director of the Young Vic) described the creation of ‘digital byproducts that dance alongside the main stage, live, theatrical event’ as being a necessary future of artistic venues and this resonated with me.

(SJ) 'Change in perspective can change everything' Asa Raskin

(AC) “Can we do with healthcare what google did with information...make it accessible, affordable and put it in the hands of every human being”- Ali Parsa (CEO and Founder of Babylon Health)

Q2: Your thoughts on AI & technology? Think it's Cool? Scary? Positive?

(YL) I think that the future of AI has the potential to deepen the chasm of racial and social inequality if we are not mindful of our own biases. Both technology and AI should be subject to continuous auditing and a diverse workforce so we can develop an industry anchored in both ethics and justice.

Phoebe Hill

(PH) As someone working in the creative industries and live events, I think it’s important to recognise that whilst AI technologies undoubtedly present an opportunity to increase access to and interaction with the arts, they do not present a digital one-stop-shop that can replace the live experience.

I am wary of privileged claims that AI technologies currently present a ‘digital democratisation’ of the creative industries. The discrepancies that lie within the digital infrastructure of the UK (for example, the comparatively high percentage of households that do not have access to high-quality broadband or computer devices) will prove to be a barrier to access digital creative content for many. I believe that AI technologies present a positive opportunity for supplementing arts programmes and live events, but are currently not a substitute for the live experience.

(SJ) I think technology and the new developments in AI are exciting. In the current context of what is going on in the world, we have all been forced to innovate and implement change faster than many people anticipated, but it is also a time to look at the opportunities. There is a lot of potential within AI and we just need the human wisdom and creativity to know what to do with it. If we remember that technology is a tool that should work for us and support/ create the lives we want to lead, that is a positive way to approach the challenges.

(AC) I think AI & tech have so much potential to do great and amazing things like improve healthcare, reduce job application discrimination and the force that is digital activism. However, I do think it has its pitfalls and there are already signs of it being abused and used for things like spreading hate speech, scamming people, and rigging elections.

Q3: Do you (plan to) use AI & technology?

(YL) I've always been interested in AI and tech. I'd like to pursue a master degree in Data Science as I think the future of tech is something women should be readily involved in.

(SJ) CogX has given me a lot of food for thought. In the future, I am excited about the potential of tech to connect communities and empower people through arts/cultural experiences and also help us redress our relationship to the natural world.

(AC) I plan to use AI and tech to improve the way people interact with dentistry. I look to use it to help develop tools to get more females from a young age to get into STEM and dentistry.

Q4: What was the most important learning for women?

(YL) A personal learning - tech and AI is more accessible (and less intimidating) than we think.

(PH) It was empowering to see so many female leaders chairing and speaking on panels. I don’t think I watched a panel with an unequal gender balance and that shouldn’t be rare, but it is.

(SJ) The most important learning for me, not being from a tech background, is that there are and have been many women in tech. However, I've learnt that are reasons why women are not remaining in the sector or do not feel supported when they are present. It is important for women to find mentorship, develop networks and maybe even find collaboration across different industries to bring more women in. As almost half the population are women it is imperative that we are part of the process of developing the tech that will impact the future or everything from health and climate to work and entertainment.

(AC) To challenge fragile frames that exist within AI and tech e.g that there is a lack of interest amongst women to get into AI and tech, and to ensure that women that are in the industry take intersectionality into consideration when discussing, developing and researching ideas and topics surrounding women within AI and tech.

Q5: What did you learn at CogX & what did you think of the event?

(YL) The event was really insightful. It was great seeing such a diverse array of speakers of all different ages (I think the youngest was 12??) from all over the world. Often, when we think of AI, we think of the future-forward talking cars version - but I think Cogx really offered a complex and holistic view of the benefits of Tech from mental health to the future of smart cities. It really motivated me to delve further into topics I hadn't considered.

(PH) It was a real privilege to be able to immerse myself in discussions and topics about which I had little to no idea, or had room to learn. I also thought CogX worked very well as an online conference, as you were able to dip in and out of panels, which would have been impossible had it not been virtual. I am definitely interested in attending next year.

(SJ) I learnt that what we do now and for the next 10 years will be so impactful across all sectors. It was good to be exposed to and hear from various voices about their ideas and I think it was great to bring so many people together to have these important conversations.

(AC) I learnt that it is important to hold AI and tech companies are held accountable and the importance of funding organisations that help the most marginalised in society to get into AI and tech so that we create a representative industry. I also learnt how science in the past has played a huge part in justifying and enforcing the racial discrimination we see today in society and how important it is for those within scientific industries presently to work to dismantle the present manifestations of this within the industry and wider sectors. I loved the fact you could dip in and out of talks that were happening simultaneously which wouldn’t have been possible it wasn’t virtual, I felt I got so much more out of it, and I could just have it on in the background when I needed to do something else so I didn’t miss out on talks I wanted to watch.

Q6: Anything else? Wanna thank FGC? Have a AI resource to recommend?

(YL) Thank you to FGC for the great opportunity it was great to network with like-minded individuals and I'm hoping to meet a few in person once we are set free from lockdown - one of the other girls on the chat shared this resource for MSC studies in Data Science and AI which looks great found HERE

(SJ) Thank you so much to FutureGirlCorp for the opportunity to access to the CogX event. It was insightful and inspiring to see how much work is happening in tech and also the discussions around how partnerships and inclusion, paired with creativity and great leadership will shape the future.

(AC) I just want to thank FGC for giving me the chance to attend, because I came away with so much knowledge and new people to follow and interact with which has made getting to know more about the industry so much more enjoyable and interesting. Often tickets for these events are £100s to £1000s and FGC are actively breaking down barriers for females to be a part of AI & tech and have access to top people in the field. A good resource I can recommend is a book I’m reading at the moment ‘ Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence And The Problem Of Control’ by Stuart Russell It’s a thought-provoking book that you can gain a lot of insight from even if you are a novice to AI.

OVERALL...

It was a super informative event as #AI can be used on anything!

Thank you to all who took the time to write their ideas & to the girls who joined the WhatsApp group to discuss.

We’re so grateful for the passes Tabitha Goldstaub provided and as you can read, they were put to good use!

If the above isn’t enough #AI for ya, check CognitionX’s Youtube for all the talks from CogX & follow their Twitter for the latest developments in the industry.

Till 2021, Emily Chapps x