Celebrating National Women In AI Month

We can see every day how technology is reshaping the world of marketing, business, and human interaction. And at the absolute center of this transformation is Artificial Intelligence. From the algorithms that determine search rankings to the tools that personalize ad creative, Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a daily reality.

But as we build this powerful new world, we have a critical responsibility. We must constantly ask: Who is building it?

When we look at the teams creating these world-changing technologies, we find a significant gap. The field of Artificial Intelligence has a diversity problem, particularly a stark underrepresentation of women. This isn’t just an HR issue or a matter of fairness; it’s a fundamental flaw that can have profound consequences. An industry that lacks diversity in its creators will inevitably build narrow, less effective products for its users.

This is why we are so excited to discuss a new and vital observance: National Women in AI Month. This is more than just a calendar reminder. It’s a dedicated time to celebrate the pioneers, champion the current leaders, and build a more inclusive and equitable future for the entire field.

In this post, we’ll explore what National Women in AI Month is, the critical reasons it was created, and the breathtaking impact Women in AI have already made. Most importantly, we’ll outline how you, as a business owner or marketing director, can join us in supporting and uplifting women in tech.

What Is National Women in AI Month?

You may not have heard of it yet, and that’s because it’s a very new — and necessary — designation.

National Women in AI Month is an observance celebrated every October. It was established and officially proclaimed by the National Day Calendar in 2023, championed by Inspyre Solutions, a woman-owned technology and data analytics company. The core purpose of the month is to formally honor, celebrate, and recognize the outstanding contributions of women in the Artificial Intelligence industry.

This observance is not just a single day of recognition. It’s a 31-day-long call to action. It serves as a platform for companies, educational institutions, and media to:

• Amplify Voices: Actively share the stories, research, and breakthroughs of Women in AI.
• Promote Role Models: Make female innovators in the field visible to the next generation.
• Host Events: Facilitate panels, workshops, and networking opportunities focused on female leadership in tech.
• Drive Conversation: Spark important discussions about the gender gap, algorithmic bias, and the pathways to a more inclusive industry.

We see National Women in AI Month as a powerful new focal point. It gives us all — especially those of us in the technology and marketing sectors — a dedicated time to review our own practices, celebrate the incredible women on our teams, and commit to tangible actions that foster a more diverse and innovative future.

Why Was National Women in AI Month Created?

The creation of National Women in AI Month wasn’t just a “nice to have.” It was a direct response to several urgent and persistent problems at the heart of the Artificial Intelligence revolution.

The simple truth is that the field of Artificial Intelligence is overwhelmingly male. Statistics show that women make up only a small fraction — some reports estimate as low as 22-26% — of the global AI workforce. This gap, often called a “leaky pipeline,” starts early in STEM education and worsens at every stage, from university programs to hiring, promotion, and retention.

This lack of representation is why the observance was so desperately needed, for three primary reasons.

1. To Fix the Pervasive Bias in Artificial Intelligence

This is, without a doubt, the most critical reason. Artificial Intelligence systems are not born from thin air. They are “trained” on massive datasets created by humans. If the teams building these systems and curating these datasets are not diverse, their own unconscious biases get built directly into the algorithms.

The most famous example of this is the groundbreaking work of Joy Buolamwini, a researcher at MIT. Her “Gender Shades” project revealed that popular facial recognition software from major tech companies failed miserably when trying to identify dark-skinned women. Yet, it was nearly 100% accurate for light-skinned men.

Why? The systems were built and tested by teams that lacked diversity, using training data that was not representative of the real world.

When Women in AI are not in the room, the products that result are often biased, ineffective, or even dangerous for a huge portion of the population. We’ve seen this in everything from voice assistants that can’t understand female voices as well as male ones, to loan-application algorithms that discriminate against women. National Women in AI Month was created to champion the diversity we must have to build fair and ethical AI.

2. To Make Hidden Figures Visible

How many famous male tech leaders can you name? Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Sam Altman. The names roll off the tongue.

Now, how many famous Women in AI can you name?

For most people, the list is frighteningly short. This isn’t because women haven’t been doing the work. It’s because their work has been historically overlooked, under-credited, and ignored. National Women in AI Month was created to be a powerful, month-long spotlight. It’s a structured effort to find the stories of these “hidden figures” and tell them, loud and proud.

By celebrating the women who are already in the field, we create visible, accessible role models. We show girls in classrooms and young women in college that a high-impact career in Artificial Intelligence is not just possible—it’s a path that other women are actively and successfully blazing.

3. To Address the Critical Talent Shortage

From a purely business perspective, the tech industry is facing a massive talent shortage. We are in a global race to build the next generation of technology, and we simply cannot afford to leave half of the population’s brainpower on the sidelines.

By failing to create inclusive environments, companies are not just being unethical; they are being uncompetitive. They are shrinking their own talent pool and missing out on the unique perspectives, problem-solving skills, and innovative ideas that diverse teams bring.

National Women in AI Month is a challenge to business owners and marketing directors. It’s a reminder that actively seeking out, hiring, and promoting Women in AI is a strategic imperative. It is how we win the “war for talent” and build companies that are truly innovative.

The Unstoppable Impact of Women Innovators in AI

The narrative that women are “new” to technology is simply false. Women have been central to computing and Artificial Intelligence since its very inception. Their impact is not a footnote; it’s a series of foundational chapters.

As we celebrate this month, it’s vital to tell these stories. Here are just a few of the giants whose work built the world we live in.

The Original Visionary | Ada Lovelace

We have to start in the 1840s. Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician, was working with Charles Babbage on his “Analytical Engine,” a theoretical, mechanical computer. While translating a paper on the machine, she added her own extensive “Notes.”

In these notes, she did something revolutionary. She theorized that the machine could go beyond mere numbers. She envisioned a future where it could manipulate symbols to create music, graphics, or complex scientific calculations. She then wrote what is now recognized as the world’s first computer algorithm. She didn’t just see a calculator; she saw the potential for Artificial Intelligence. She was, in essence, the very first person to see the creative soul of the machine.

The Architect of the AI Boom | Dr. Fei-Fei Li

If you’ve heard about the “deep learning revolution” of the last 15 years, you are hearing about the direct result of Dr. Fei-Fei Li’s work. In the mid-2000s, computer vision (teaching AI to see) had stalled. Dr. Li, then a professor at Princeton, had a radical idea. She hypothesized that the problem wasn’t just the algorithms; it was the data.

She spearheaded the creation of ImageNet. This was a monumental project to create a massive, free database of millions of images, all meticulously labeled by humans. When ImageNet was released, it provided the “fuel” that new “deep learning” algorithms needed to learn. It sparked a global competition and ignited the entire Artificial Intelligence boom we are living through today. Her work is the foundation upon which modern image recognition, autonomous vehicles, and medical AI systems are built.

The Conscience of AI | Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru

We mentioned Joy Buolamwini earlier. Her work with the Algorithmic Justice League, which she founded, literally changed the policies of the world’s biggest tech companies. After her “Gender Shades” research was published, companies like IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft were forced to go back and fix their biased facial recognition technologies.

Similarly, Dr. Timnit Gebru, a co-founder of the “Black in AI” community, has been a leading voice on ethical AI. Her research has critically examined the dangers of large language models, the data used to train them, and the environmental costs.

Together, these Women in AI represent the critical “ethics and safety” wing of the industry. They are the ones asking the tough, necessary questions, often at great personal and professional risk, to make Artificial Intelligence safer and fairer for all of us.

The Pioneer of Social Robots | Dr. Cynthia Breazeal

Long before Alexa or Siri, Dr. Cynthia Breazeal was pioneering “social robotics” at the MIT Media Lab. In the 1990s, she developed Kismet, one of the first robots designed to interact with humans in a social, emotive way. Kismet could recognize and simulate emotions, responding to a person’s tone of voice and facial expressions.

This work was foundational. It shifted the paradigm of robotics from “industrial tools” to “interactive companions.” Every Artificial Intelligence assistant you talk to today has its roots in her groundbreaking exploration of human-robot interaction.

These are just four of countless stories. National Women in AI Month is our chance to make these names as well-known as any of their male counterparts.

How to Support Women In Tech | An Action Plan for Leaders

Celebrating National Women in AI Month is about more than just a social media post. For us as business owners and marketing leaders, it must be about tangible, year-round action. Here is a practical guide to how we can all contribute.

1. In Your Hiring | Audit and Actively De-Bias Your Process

The “leaky pipeline” is often broken right at the hiring stage.

• Review Your Job Descriptions: Scan your job postings for gendered language. Like it or not, words like “ninja,” “rockstar,” or “dominant” are known to discourage women from applying. Focus on skills and responsibilities.
• Implement Blind Resume Reviews: Task someone on your team (or use software) to remove all identifying information — names, graduation years, even university names — from resumes before the hiring manager sees them. This forces a focus purely on skills and experience.
• Standardize Your Interviews: Create a fixed set of questions and a scoring rubric that is used for every single candidate in the same order. This prevents “affinity bias,” where an interviewer might ask tougher questions of one candidate and easier, “chatty” questions of another.
• Diversify Your Interview Panel: Make it a firm rule that no candidate is ever interviewed by an all-male panel. Including women in the evaluation process provides a more balanced perspective and signals to the candidate that your culture is inclusive.

2. In Your Culture | Move from Mentorship to Sponsorship

Hiring women is only the first step. Retaining and promoting them is where real change happens.

• Establish Formal Mentorship: Create a structured program that pairs junior female employees with senior leaders in your company. This gives them a clear path for asking questions, navigating challenges, and planning their careers.
• Champion Sponsorship: This is even more powerful. A mentor talks to you. A sponsor talks about you in rooms you aren’t in. As a leader, take on the role of a sponsor. When a high-profile project, a promotion, or a speaking opportunity comes up, actively and publicly advocate for the high-potential women on your team.
• Promote Flexible and Fair Policies: The “leaky pipeline” is often caused by rigid work cultures that penalize caregivers—a role that still disproportionately falls to women. Championing clear parental leave, flexible work hours, and remote work options is a direct way to support and retain female talent.

3. In Your Marketing | Use Your Platform to Amplify

As marketing directors, we have a unique and powerful role to play.

• Audit Your “Manels”: Look at the panels, webinars, and expert roundups you’ve hosted in the last year. Are they all-male? Make a public commitment to never host an all-male panel (a “manel”) again.
• Feature Your Own Experts: This October, for National Women in AI Month, use your company blog and social media channels to interview and celebrate the women in tech and leadership roles at your own company.
• Be Inclusive in Your Content: When you write about Artificial Intelligence, tech, or business, make a conscious effort to cite and quote female experts, authors, and researchers.

4. In Your Community | Invest in the Next Generation

We must help build the next generation of Women in AI.

• Partner with Local STEM Programs: Identify and sponsor local organizations like Girls Who Code or university-level societies for women in engineering.
• Offer Internships: Create and actively promote internship programs targeted at women in computer science and data science.
• Encourage Volunteering: Allow your female tech leaders to use company time to speak at local high schools or mentor students. Visibility is a powerful motivator.

The future is being written in the language of Artificial Intelligence. We are at a pivotal moment, with a choice to make. We can either repeat the mistakes of the past, building a new world that reflects old biases, or we can build one that is truly equitable, innovative, and intelligent.

Build Your Platform, Amplify Your Voice

The work of Women in AI has been foundational, revolutionary, and far too often, invisible. National Women in AI Month is our call to action. It’s a time for us to change the narrative, to celebrate the pioneers, to sponsor the current leaders, and to build the pathways for the next generation.

At Dallas SEO Dogs, we are committed to this. We believe that supporting diversity in tech isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the only way to build technology that truly serves everyone.

This October, how will your company celebrate National Women in AI Month? Your digital platform — your website, blog, social media — is your most powerful tool for joining this conversation.

If you need a partner to help you build a powerful website, develop a content strategy that establishes you as a thought leader, or amplify the voices of innovators in your industry, our team at Dallas SEO Dogs is here. Let’s work together to build a stronger, more inclusive, and more powerful digital presence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. What is National Women in AI Month?

National Women in AI Month is an observance celebrated every October. It was founded in 2023 by Inspyre Solutions to honor, celebrate, and recognize the significant contributions of Women in AI and to advocate for greater diversity in the field.

Q. Who are some of the most impactful Women in AI?

The field has many pioneers. They include Ada Lovelace (considered the first computer programmer), Dr. Fei-Fei Li (creator of ImageNet, which sparked the deep learning revolution), and Joy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru (ethicists who exposed bias in Artificial Intelligence systems).

Q. Why is diversity so important in Artificial Intelligence?

Diversity is critical for building fair and effective Artificial Intelligence. Teams lacking diversity can naturally but unintentionally build their own biases into AI systems, leading to outcomes that are discriminatory or reduce utility (and ROI). Diverse teams ask a wider range of questions, identify more problems — and build better, more inclusive products for everyone.