A.I. summit focuses on educating and supporting women entrepreneurs

FalcolnX says women hold about 80% of the jobs that will be impacted by A.I. technology.

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Artificial intelligence leaders gathered in Palo Alto on Thursday afternoon to address the gender gap in the industry.

Organizers say women hold about 80% of the jobs that will be impacted by A.I. technology, and it’s important that women learn technology and be a part of the innovation.

"We need an A.I. that will advocate for all of us, especially women, because we have so many priorities. We’re always juggling different roles," said EmpowerHer.ai panelist Priyanka Khaitan.

The EmpowerHer.ai networking summit brought together some of the most influential voices in A.I., tech, and business, to give women more insight into the industry. The FalconX hosted the event in partnership with Hewlett-Packard.

What they're saying:

Sree Menon is a partner at Milpitas-based FalconX, a venture firm that supports and funds startups.

"Only 2% of venture funding goes to tech companies that are founded by women and what we are finding is that there are just not that many women who are founding companies."

FalconX says 26% of women hold A.I. jobs. To improve the gender gap, the firm has supported entrepreneurs like Navya Davuluri, founder of Curie.ai. Davuluri's AI-driven healthcare solution is transforming respiratory care by enabling early detection of respiratory issues.

"This is the job that we are tasked with. Figuring out how to care better and more, with less. This is where, I believe, A.I. is going to become increasingly useful," said Davuluri, Curie.ai co-founder and CEO.

The backstory:

FalconX has also partnered with agencies like Meta and Hitachi to empower entrepreneurs. The venture firm says while women hold 80% of the white-collar jobs being affected, it means they’re 2.7 times more likely to be impacted by A.I. than men. Therefore, it’s vital that women have access to information, funding, and be able to create with artificial intelligence.

"I think it’s still a new frontier. A lot of women need to be talked to about having those opportunities. Have an interest, explore. I think it just goes back to having access," said Leslie Murdock, an A.I. Consultant with the Small Business Development Center of San Jose/Silicon Valley.

"It’s more about making it easy for them, explaining to them and telling them," Hey, you can probably do this. It’s giving them that confidence," said Shubhada Hebbar, of Cupertino.

FalconX says they’ll continue holding workshops, networking events and creating a space where entrepreneurs can grow and thrive in the A.I. industry.

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