IBM Celebrates Global Women Leaders Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence

  • A group of women leaders are proving, through a variety of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, that "human and machine collaboration can truly help improve how people work," according to IBM.

  • The company announced its 2020 IBM Women Leaders in AI honorees May 6 at its Think Digital conference.

  • The list recognized 35 business leaders from 12 countries who are using AI to drive transformation and growth benefiting their company, customers and employees, according to IBM.


The U.S. companies represented on the list include: ADP; AT&T; Best Western Hotels and Resorts; Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency; Dillard's; KPMG LLP; National Institute of Standards and Technology; PayPal; Regions Bank; The Boeing Company; and The Hartford. The annual recognition also creates a peer network to discover ways to use AI to solve business challenges.

To supplement the data science skill shortage, the women leaders are leveraging AI tools, according to IBM. "From understanding and deriving insights from tens of millions of financial documents, to improving new employee onboarding experiences, to helping women have a better experience buying intimate apparel, these women leaders are shaping innovative AI use cases," the company said in a statement.

Read more: IBM-backed project seeks to set standard for blockchain work credentials

As companies incorporate AI into business operations, there are still concerns about skills gaps and trust in the technology, according to research.

A recent IBM global AI survey found that 34% of businesses surveyed across the U.S., Europe and China have adopted AI. However, 37% of leaders cited the skills gap — lack of AI skills and expertise — as a significant roadblock to broad business deployment, according to IBM. Trust is also an issue. Globally, 78% of respondents said it's very or critically important that they can trust that the technology's output is reliable, safe and fair.

Reskilling will become crucial in the workplace as automation and AI replace and create jobs, according to a 2019 McKinsey Global Institute report. Researchers estimated the growing technologies may cause between 40 million and 160 million women to need to transition to positions requiring higher-level skills by 2030. The researchers recommend that stakeholders invest in training programs; increase women's access to technology as well as leadership roles in tech jobs; and assist women in balancing paid and unpaid work and increase their mobility.

Gender diversity is also an area of concern for women working in the AI field, according to IBM's Global Women in AI study, released May 6. IBM and Morning Consult conducted a global study of more than 3,200 AI professionals. The majority of respondents believe the industry has become more diverse. However, among those who believe the industry has not improved in diversity, 74% said diversity is a must for a company to reach its potential.

Women respondents in the survey were almost five times as likely as men to say their career advancement was negatively impacted by their gender, Ritika Gunnar, Vice President, Data and AI Expert Labs and Learning at IBM, wrote in a blog post May 6. The study "also shows that men working in AI were likely to have become interested in their career path earlier than their female colleagues," Gunnar wrote. "While women working in AI were as likely as the men to have been interested in math and hard sciences growing up, the men were more likely to have been told they had a natural talent for these subjects."

Melinda Gates' company, Pivotal Ventures, and several social organizations are looking to engage women as college students in STEM to create a leadership pipeline in tech jobs. Pivot Ventures announced in January a $50 million investment in the initiate Gender Equality in Tech Cities, which will also engage employees, founders and investors in city-based tech hubs nationwide.

Read more: AI from IBM knows—better than humans—if you plan to quit

Spotlight

Today’s workforce is boundless: fluid, always on, and borderless. But not all organizations are ready to harness the full potential of this modern workforce – even though it could help save time, money, and top talent. Ceridian’s 2023 Execuve Survey reveals that leaders are still grappling with pandemic workforce challenges whil


Other News
Hr Analytics

Fisher Phillips Launches fpSOLUTIONS

Business Wire | October 31, 2023

Fisher Phillips, an international law firm representing employers, is proud to announce the launch of fpSOLUTIONS, a new venture offering easy access to cost-effective HR solutions, including customizable documents, checklists, forms, handbooks and compliance toolkits powered by Fisher Phillips and backed by a comprehensive suite of consulting services including human resource support. said John Polson, Fisher Phillips’ Chairman and Managing Partner. fpSOLUTIONS will leverage Fisher Phillips’ decades of experience in employment law to offer HR compliance solutions without a full-service law firm engagement. This new venture allows us to offer various forms of comprehensive and accessible support to help companies navigate everything from HR operations and compliance to training and performance improvement and everything in between. [Source:Business Wire] fpSOLUTIONS currently offers turn-key but adaptable products for today’s HR leaders, including International Remote Work support Reduction in Force tools CAL/OSHA Compliance products Arbitration agreements and support Wage and hour compliance products fpSOLUTIONS also offers various services, available specifically to US organizations of the same size, which include Affirmative Action Plans and Compliance Compensation Consulting and Research Data Privacy Compliance Cyber Security Assessments The company will be led by CEO Mark Wilbur, a 30-year HR and strategic management consulting veteran. Wilbur previously served as CEO and President of Employers Group, where he transformed the 125-year-old leading advocacy and professional services organization into EverythingHR. He was also a successful Partner at Andersen Consulting where he provided strategic and operational management consulting services to national and global Fortune 1000 companies. “We designed fpSOLUTIONS to be the go-to resource hub offering an array of fully customizable products and services to best fit a company’s specific needs based on industry, location and size,” said Wilbur. "We aim to provide easy access to practical solutions companies need to streamline day-to-day HR compliance and optimize success." About Fisher Phillips With nearly 600 attorneys across the United States and Mexico, and a vast network of attorneys in jurisdictions around the globe, Fisher Phillips advises and advocates for employers on an international scale. Through our technology-driven approach and commitment to diversity and inclusion, we partner with companies to achieve their business objectives, anticipate potential disruption, and provide the legal guidance to navigate and resolve the workplace matters critical to their success. About fpSOLUTIONS fpSOLUTIONS provides customizable documents, checklists, forms, handbooks and compliance toolkits powered by Fisher Phillips and backed by a comprehensive suite of consulting services including human resources support, human capital management, and change management. fpSOLUTIONS combines technology with experienced professional support to deliver a robust and practical solution to HR compliance and management.

Read More

Workers Compensation

LaborIQ and Paycor Unveil Compensation Solutions Referral Partnership

Paycor | September 18, 2023

LaborIQ, an emerging tech firm specializing in market compensation software, and Paycor, a prominent supplier of human capital management (HCM) software, have unveiled a referral partnership aimed at assisting HR leaders in talent recruitment, management, compensation, and professional development with market-competitive salary insights for all job roles across the US. The strategic referral alliance is geared towards equipping Paycor clients with the most competitive salary recommendations tailored to today's job market demands. Additionally, it offers solutions for employee retention, fostering growth within their organizations. Claudine Zachara, President & COO of LaborIQ, expressed her delight in partnering with Paycor, acknowledging their dominant position in HCM solutions for HR teams. She stated, LaborIQ’s compensation software, together with Paycor, creates an advantage for companies who need today’s answers for reducing pay gaps and hiring. Technology, methodology and speed have significantly evolved in the HR tech space. [Source: BusinessWire] Paycor clients will now enjoy exclusive advantages from LaborIQ's software. This collaboration offers unrestricted access to salary recommendations and pay benchmarks for a vast database of over 20,000 job positions. About LaborIQ LaborIQ is at the forefront of modernizing how US organizations access market-competitive compensation recommendations. The company believes that to compete for talent and achieve success, organizations must have access to unparalleled salary data quality, supported by rigorous labor market research, analysis, and validation. LaborIQ empowers HR teams to expedite hiring processes, reduce turnover, and ensure precise compensation decisions, earning the trust of thousands of users who rely on them for salary recommendations, pay gap closure, and streamlined pay transparency strategies. About Paycor With over three decades of experience, Paycor has established itself as a leader in human capital management. The entity’s HCM platform revolutionizes all facets of people management, encompassing recruitment, onboarding, payroll processing, career development, and talent retention. What truly distinguishes Paycor is its unwavering focus on leaders, stemming from more than 30 years of listening to and collaborating with leadership teams. This extensive experience has equipped Paycor to understand leaders' unique needs, resulting in a unified HR platform with seamless integration capabilities, robust analytics, talent development resources, and adaptable technology tailored to meet specific industry requirements. Trusted by a community of over 30,000 customers, Paycor is the preferred partner for addressing HR challenges and achieving organizational goals.

Read More

Workforce Management

Asure Software and Lendio Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch Lendio in the Asure Marketplace

GlobeNewswire | November 02, 2023

Asure Software an established provider of cloud-based Human Capital Management (“HCM”) software solutions, and Lendio, the smart lending platform that connects small business owners with new possibilities, jointly announced today the launch of Lendio in the Asure Integrations Marketplace. One of Asure’s main strategic pillars is to help clients gain access to growth-sustaining capital. This collaboration gives Asure's clients access to Lendio's comprehensive suite of business financing solutions, all delivered through a single, online application. With this integration, businesses can now effortlessly explore a wide range of funding options, ensuring they have the financial resources to survive, grow and thrive. "Asure is committed to offering our clients the best tools and resources to support their growth," said Asure Chairman and CEO, Pat Goepel. "By integrating Lendio into our marketplace, we're ensuring that our clients have direct access to top-tier financing solutions that can propel their businesses forward." Lendio, known for its one-stop-shop approach to business finances, offers a variety of loan types tailored to different industries and business needs. Their platform has helped over 350,000 small and medium sized businesses access over $13 billion in business financing. said Brock Blake, Lendio CEO and Co-Founder. We’re working to create a world where small businesses survive and thrive, and access to capital is a crucial part of that. By being a part of the Asure marketplace, we can reach more businesses and provide them with the financial tools they need to succeed. We’re thrilled to now be part of their platform and available as a resource to their vast customer base. [Source:GlobeNewswire] The integration also comes at a pivotal time when businesses are looking for ways to navigate the financial challenges posed by the global pandemic. Asure and Lendio both recognize the importance of providing businesses with the necessary tools and resources to overcome these challenges and continue a path of growth. About Asure Software Asure Software provides cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) software solutions that assist organizations of all sizes in streamlining their HCM processes. Asure's suite of HCM solutions includes HR, payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, payroll tax management, and talent management. The company's approach to HR compliance services incorporates AI technology to enhance scalability and efficiency while prioritizing client interactions.

Read More

Employee Experience

Marrying Form and Function, PrismHR Unveils New Unified Employee Experience (UEX)

GlobeNewswire | October 19, 2023

PrismHR, a Vensure Employer Solutions company and the leading HR technology software innovator for PEOs, ASOs and HCM providers across the U.S., today announced the launch of its Unified Employee Experience (UEX) update. Inspired by the award-winning Namely UI, PrismHR UEX leverages established design principles that make user tasks intuitive in any situation, and it includes new manager and employee views, expanded configuration options, higher levels of accessibility and improved responsiveness. Kevin Andrews, president of PrismHR, said, “With PrismHR UEX, we wanted to bring a more modern, responsive, and accessible experience to our users, which include HR outsourcers and their small and medium-sized business (SMB) clients. To do this, Rob Roberts, our director of user experience, and his team leveraged interaction design to redesign the steps in the flow. His team analyzed what our users are trying to do and identified their priorities before designing the steps in the flow, so it’s very natural for them. And this is just the start. There’s much more to come.” As such, highlights of the initial PrismHR UEX rollout include: New employee/manager split views to give the right people the right information at the right time. Customized branding via the Employee Experience Configuration Tool to reflect titles, headers, primary links, buttons, and accent colors. Accessibility capabilities that align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA requirements to improve the experience for people with disabilities. Unified navigation, guided workflows, and responsive views for desktop, tablet and mobile. Alex Campos, CEO of Vensure Employer Solutions, said, Tackling a design project of this magnitude allowed the PrismHR team to think this through with fresh eyes. In doing so, we were able to marry form and function and present a greatly improved user experience that sets a new standard of excellence across the entire industry. PrismHR UEX doesn’t just look nicer—it also helps our customers’ clients accomplish their most important HR tasks easily and more efficiently. To learn more and experience PrismHR UEX, visit https://info.prismhr.com/unified-employee-experience. About PrismHR PrismHR’s mission is to fuel the growth of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across the U.S. Our HR software, combined with our ecosystem of HR service providers, enables SMBs to manage payroll, benefits and HR, leveling the playing field with large enterprises. Today, PrismHR delivers world-class HR services to thousands of organizations and continues to invest heavily in technology as the HR innovation frontrunner. A Vensure Employer Solutions company, PrismHR is located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.prismhr.com. About Vensure Employer Solutions Vensure Employer Solutions is the largest privately held organization in the HR technology and service sector, providing a comprehensive portfolio of solutions, including HR/HCM technology, managed services, and global business process outsourcing (BPO). The company and its service providers collectively serve over 95,000 businesses and process over $135B in annual payroll. As a “One Employer Solution” headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Vensure helps thousands of businesses streamline and grow their operations with custom strategies that benefit both employers and employees. Find out more by visiting www.vensure.com.

Read More

Spotlight

Today’s workforce is boundless: fluid, always on, and borderless. But not all organizations are ready to harness the full potential of this modern workforce – even though it could help save time, money, and top talent. Ceridian’s 2023 Execuve Survey reveals that leaders are still grappling with pandemic workforce challenges whil

Resources