A brief thread on "influencer" "expert" lists and learnings from our #100BrilliantWomeninAIEthics #AIEthics list (1/8)

In February 2018, I posted a list of 12 women I admire in #AIEthics which included @mira_lane @KayFButterfield @jovialjoy @RoboEthics and others. This list inspired a thread of well-known experts in this field criticizing it for being too US-centric (2/8) https://lighthouse3.com/our-blog/12-amazing-women-in-ai-ethics-to-follow-in-2018/

So in September 2018, I published a longer list with 100 women in #AIEthics which led to criticism that there were many more deserving women out there ... (3/8) https://lighthouse3.com/our-blog/100-brilliant-women-in-ai-ethics-you-should-follow-in-2019-and-beyond/

That feedback inspired the creation of an open online Women in AI Ethics™ directory.
Sounds like perfect solution, right?! Apparently not.
We found that many regions/groups were still underrepresented... (4/8) https://lighthouse3.com/womeninaiethics/

So we added regional chapter leaders to increase representation and reached out to community leaders like @timnitGebru @red_abebe – Black in AI, @unthevert Natalia Bilenko – Queer in AI Others like @maria_axente @michellercarney all pitched in to help(5/8) https://lighthouse3.com/our-blog/ai_ethics_regional_chapters/

...we published another list in 2020 #AIEthics w/ new brilliant voices @BaharSateli @mutalenkonde @daniellecass @VoxBec @VidushiMarda @aparnaashok_ Fatmah Baothman @BuseCett @CarlaHustedt @DorotheaBaur @okeefekat (6/8) https://lighthouse3.com/our-blog/100-brilliant-women-in-ai-ethics-for-2020/

But in our quest to highlight new voices and rising stars, we unintentionally freaked out some of the brilliant women on the original list who suddenly dropped off our new #AIEthics list (7/8)

So what did we learn? Lists are not perfect even if thoughtfully curated. Being transparent about intention and criteria is key. Diversity + inclusion is a journey not an one-time effort. And it will take ALL of us working together to make progress (8/8) https://lighthouse3.com/womeninaiethics/nominate.php