Women in AI

On December 17, a workshop was held at Hannesarholt, marking the first event of the newly established pan-European working group Women in AI. The working group was founded at the initiative of EDIH Iceland, which will lead the collaboration at the European level for the next three years.

The aim of the working group is to shed light on bias in artificial intelligence, encourage women’s participation and leadership in the field of AI, and strengthen networks among women across Europe. The project will formally launch on the European stage this January, but the workshop at Hannesarholt represented an important first step in shaping the group’s priorities and long-term vision.

Around 70 women with diverse backgrounds and experience from a wide range of sectors attended the event. Approximately half of the participants have more than ten years of experience in the technology sector. Attendees included entrepreneurs, specialists, researchers, executives, students, artists, and women from many different professional and personal backgrounds.

Kolfinna Tómasdóttir, Project Manager at EDIH Iceland and Specialist at Rannís, delivered the opening address and chaired the event. A special guest was Thelma Christel Kristjánsdóttir, lawyer and co-founder of Jónsbók, who gave a presentation addressing bias in artificial intelligence and the importance of designing and developing technological solutions guided by diversity and social responsibility.

Discussions during the workshop clearly highlighted that bias in artificial intelligence is one of the major challenges of our time. Strong emphasis was placed on the importance of networking, skills development, research, and women’s leadership roles within AI - key focus areas that will shape the working group’s priorities during its first year of operation.

“It was wonderful to see such strong attendance just a week before Christmas, and truly valuable to engage in dialogue with a large group of women of different ages and from diverse sectors. It is a privilege to lead this working group across Europe and to draw on Iceland’s strengths in gender equality in this work,” said Kolfinna following the event. “Despite being a small nation, we can make our voices heard in international collaboration, and it is both rewarding and encouraging to feel the strong momentum around this topic.”

The next steps for the working group include defining clear strategic priorities for the next three years, building a strong pan-European collaboration, and hosting additional events that bring women in AI together. In parallel, targeted actions will be developed to increase women’s influence in artificial intelligence - particularly in policy-making, innovation, and practical implementation - by supporting governmental AI strategies.

We encourage those interested to follow EDIH Iceland on LinkedIn where updates on the next steps of the Women in AI working group will be shared.