photographer: julia powalacz©
payal arora(she/her)
ai diversity leader award at women in ai
about
i was an artist in india, a waitress, then art dealer in san francisco, then a research assistant for a non-profit in new york, before becoming an academic. today i am a professor of inclusive ai cultures at utrecht university where i teach and research on diversifying data with the global south. we reinvent ourselves more than we realize. we do not give ourselves sufficient credit for the resilience we have built as we absorb and even lead change personally and professionally. while ai continues to change, so do we! we are the changemakers with control of our digital futures.
what advice would you give to your younger self?
don’t get so judgmental about people not being “activist” enough or not doing it in your style of activism. allow people their own space, and time and ways of making an impact. we don’t need carbon copies of each other, diversity is not just about who you include at the table, but how you recognize and value different ways of making a difference.