Tess Posner Explained

Tess Posner
Known For:Artificial Intelligence
AI Ethics
Diversity in Technology
Alma Mater:Columbia University (M.A.)
Saint John's College (B.A.)
Workplaces:AI4ALL

Tess Posner is an American social entrepreneur and musician best known for her work in artificial intelligence advocacy and ethics, focusing on increasing equity and inclusion in technology.[1]

Posner headed several initiatives to promote diversity in technology before being hired as the CEO of non-profit organization AI4ALL, a position from which she stepped down in 2021 to concentrate on her music career.[2] [3] Her work has earned recognition including her selection as one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics in 2020.[4]

Early years and education

Posner grew up near Boston, Massachusetts. In high school, she traveled to El Salvador to build houses with Habitat for Humanity following an earthquake. Posner holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Mathematics from Saint John's College and a Master's degree from Columbia University in Social Enterprise Administration.[5]

Career

Social entrepreneurship

Early in her career, Posner built and ran Samsa School, a non-profit organization providing low-income people worldwide with tools and education to find work in the digital economy. Then, she became the managing director of TechHire at Opportunity@Work, a White House initiative that sought to increase diversity in the technology industry.[6] In 2016, Posner was selected as a fellow at the Institute for the Future.[7]

Posner then joined non-profit organization AI4ALL as their CEO and executive director.[8] [9] AI4ALL provides AI education and mentorship particularly towards historically underrepresented talent.[10] [3] In the years she served as CEO, AI4ALL saw over 15,000 young people participate in the organization's AI education and mentorship programs.[11] Posner has spoken at SXSW, Grace Hopper Celebration, Nvidia GPU Technology Conference, and further conferences about artificial intelligence and technology diversity and outreach.[12] [13] [14]

She is listed as a coauthor in Vint Cerf and David Nordfors's 2018 book The People Centered Economy: The New Ecosystem for Work.[15]

In an online statement published in October 2021, Posner announced that she would step out of the role as CEO of AI4ALL into an advisory role to pursue her music career full-time.[16] Emily Reid took over her role at the start of 2022 as interim CEO.[17]

Music

Posner is also an alt-pop music artist. She released her first EP in 2018 and released new singles in 2020.[18] [19]

Selected awards and recognition

Notes and References

  1. Web site: April 4, 2018. AI Isn't Good for Women — But We Can Fix It. January 21, 2022. Teen Vogue. en-US.
  2. Web site: Wong. Ashley. Artificial intelligence has a racial bias problem. Google is funding summer camps to try to change that. September 22, 2021. USA TODAY. en-US.
  3. Web site: Smiley. Lauren. May 23, 2018. The Future of AI Depends on High-School Girls. They hired Tess Posner, who had led initiatives aimed at getting more diversity into the digital economy, to be the CEO. . January 19, 2022. The Atlantic. en.
  4. Web site: Hall of Fame. July 22, 2021. 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™. en-US.
  5. Web site: Tess Posner inspires and trains diverse AI talent. January 19, 2022. Accelerate with Google. en.
  6. Web site: AI in Medicine: Inclusion & Equity. January 19, 2022. Stanford University.
  7. Web site: IFTF: Tess Posner. September 17, 2021. www.iftf.org.
  8. News: Castellanos. Sara. August 10, 2020. The Changes AI Will Bring. en-US. Wall Street Journal. January 19, 2022. 0099-9660.
  9. Web site: A Rare Tech Company Where Women Dominate. September 22, 2021. Fortune. en.
  10. Web site: Walch. Kathleen. Concerns Of AI And Bias Insights from AI4ALL's Tess Posner. September 22, 2021. Forbes. en.
  11. Web site: Miami Dade College Partners with AI4ALL College Pathways Initiative to Prepare Students for Careers in Artificial Intelligence. January 19, 2022. MDC News. en-US.
  12. Web site: Understanding the Human Side of Automation. January 19, 2022. SXSW.
  13. Web site: Lindeman. Laura. September 26, 2019. 10 Talks We Can't Wait to Hear at the 2019 Grace Hopper Celebration. January 19, 2022. Medium. en.
  14. Web site: Stewart. Louis. October 15, 2020. At GTC, Leaders Focus on Equity in AI, Developer Diversity NVIDIA Blog. January 19, 2022. The Official NVIDIA Blog. en-US.
  15. Book: Cerf. Vint. The People Centered Economy: The New Ecosystem for Work. Nordfors. David. 2018. 978-1729145920.
  16. Web site: Tess. Posner. November 3, 2021. Singing A New Song. January 19, 2022. AI4ALL. en.
  17. Web site: Team. AI4ALL. December 14, 2021. Emily Reid Named Interim CEO of AI4ALL. January 21, 2022. AI4ALL. en.
  18. Web site: Interview: Tess Posner. September 19, 2021. Tongue Tied Magazine. en-US.
  19. Web site: FeaturesMusic·. February 21, 2020. Tess Posner Shines On Catchy New Single "Ocean". January 19, 2022. DNü. en-GB.
  20. Web site: July 12, 2019. Winners of VentureBeat's first Women in AI Awards announced at Transform 2019. September 17, 2021. VentureBeat. en-US.
  21. Web site: AIconics Awards San Francisco 2019: Shortlist announced. September 17, 2021. AI Business. en.