International Women’s Day AI Business School workshops - March 6, 2020 in Toronto

International Women’s Day, Microsoft is hosting AI Business School workshops

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Microsoft is hosting AI Business School workshops for women and their allies across the country on March 6 th , 2020.

These events aim to enable participants to think strategically and holistically about the role of AI in their organization and support them in adopting tools and frameworks that can truly drive change in their organizations.

In addition to focusing on the latest advancements in technology, the Toronto event will also explore opportunities for inclusion in AI. The workshop features learning sessions, networking opportunities and a panel discussion featuring influential women working in technology and artificial intelligence to discuss innovations in AI, their career journeys and closing the gender skills gap.

Panel Overview:
This year, according to ICTC, we can expect 200,000 tech jobs to go unfilled in Canada and by 2022, 27 percent of total jobs will be new. We cannot address a skills gap of this magnitude without tapping into underrepresented groups and we also have an obligation to ensure that the opportunities made possible by the digital economy are open to everyone. This means that there has to be a purposeful effort to upskill underrepresented communities to build a diverse and inclusive workforce with the skills needed to thrive in the evolving digital economy.

The ‘Each for Equal’ panel discussion at the workshop will highlight the challenges and opportunities when it comes to upskilling and explore the gender disparity in the field of AI.

Participants:

• Iman Abudagga, Data and AI Business Lead, Microsoft Canada (Moderator)
• Sheri Robinson, Senior Manager - Microsoft Business Advisory Transformation - Data and AI Lead at Accenture
• Helen Kontozopoulos, Co-Founder, ODAIA
• Saadia Muzaffar, Founder TechGirls Canada