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VentureBeat announced the winners of its sixth annual Women in AI Awards at VB Transform yesterday. These awards honor women leaders and pioneers in the AI field. Nominees were submitted by the public, and a VentureBeat committee selected the winners based on their dedication to the industry, work to increase inclusivity, and positive community impact.
Awards were presented by VentureBeat’s senior AI writer, Miya David, and chief strategy officer, Gina Joseph. One of the 2019 winners, Noelle Russell, also joined the ceremony. Joseph highlighted the significance of these awards and the Women in AI breakfast, emphasizing the need to support women in technology and ensure AI leadership reflects society’s diversity.
The AI Entrepreneur award celebrates a woman who has successfully started an AI company showing great potential. This year’s winner is Jenny Dearing, co-founder and CEO of 1337. Dearing is leading a transformative shift in creating and managing digital content, developing new ways for audiences to engage with creators and brands online. In her acceptance speech, she expressed excitement about the potential of AI to bring significant change to humanity.
The AI Research award honors a woman who has made substantial contributions to AI research, either in academia or industry. This year’s winner is Payel Das, principal research scientist and manager at IBM Research. Das, who is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University and an IBM Master Inventor, has developed groundbreaking models in molecular structures and natural language. In her video acceptance speech, she dedicated the award to women in AI research and emphasized the importance of inclusivity in advancing AI.
The AI Mentorship award recognizes a woman leader who has significantly mentored other women in AI. This year’s winner is Reut Lazo, founder of Women And AI, a platform that empowers women in AI and promotes diversity in the field. Lazo highlighted the collective journey of women in AI and stressed the importance of sharing their stories of innovation and resilience.
The Responsibility & Ethics of AI award honors a woman demonstrating leadership in responsible AI. This year’s winner is Helen Gu, founder and CEO of InsightFinder and a computer science professor at North Carolina State University. Gu, with over $4.2 million in research grants and numerous publications and patents, highlighted the evolution of AI from a niche field to a key part of daily life.
The Rising Star award recognizes a woman in the early stages of her AI career showing exceptional promise. This year’s winner is Ava Amini, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research. Amini focuses on developing new technologies for precision medicine by integrating AI with biology. She also co-founded Momentum AI, an outreach program that teaches AI to under-resourced high school students.
We congratulate all the women nominated for the Women in AI Awards and thank everyone for their nominations, helping to highlight the vital contributions of women in AI.