Village Girl to Ethical AI Advocate: How Saishruthi Swaminathan’s Triumph Over Bias Changed the Tech Industry

For decades, women have been excluded from the prestige and prowess of high power positions in male-dominated industries; but every now and then a figure comes along to prove to young girls everywhere that they have the power to do anything they set their mind to. Saishruthi Swaminathan is a Data Scientist and Ethical AI Advocate whose story is one of adversity, bias, and ultimately, triumph. From a small village in India to a Silicon Valley superstar, Saishruthi’s path to success has been anything but conventional.

A passionate data scientist and AI practitioner, Saishruthi saw a void in advocacy for ethical practices within AI. Faced with unsurmountable discrimination and bias, Saishruthi was faced with a choice: let her fear get the best of her and fall victim to female bias, or rise above to cultivate lasting change in AI and tech. Determined to rise, Saishruthi followed her gut which led her to become one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent key players, and most powerful advocated for diversity and inclusion.

Saishruthi’s contributions to ethical AI are boundless. As co-creator of the R-Code for the AI-Fairness 360 product, and semi-finalist in the Silicon Valley Business Plan Competition-2021 for democratizing recruiting using artificial intelligence; Saishruthi has burst onto the Ethical AI scene to cultivate tangible change that will influence inclusion initiatives for generations to come. As she continues to expand her research and development, her focus areas include:

• Ethical AI Open Source Project Maintainer, Mentor, Instructor, and Advocate
• Data Science Practitioner
• Open-Source Contributor
• Helping women in the data science community
• Helping youth step into the technical career

“With focused mind and clear intentions, anything is possible in life. `No` that comes from voices around you is powerless before the `Yes` that comes from within. Having a world which does not judge and put you in pre-defined path is what I work for. Fear, bias, and self-doubt should not be a factor for a girl to step into the world of tech. Through my story, I wish to deliver a message that all you need in this passion and dedicated work. Rest universe will take care. I strive to bring the awareness about effect of discrimination in AI system, make the community see the effects with an eye of compassion, and work toward building a responsible AI system.” 

Chosen as a chief guest at AI for INDIA 1.0, Saishurthi gave a powerful presentation about bias mitigation in AI Models, which was received with immense respect and appreciation as a blueprint for future developments. Saishruthi’s work is inspiring young women across the globe to pursue their passion regardless of circumstance or bias.

Through countless hours of research, dedication to innovation, and unwavering commitment to driving sustainable change within the AI industry; Saishruthi’s purpose-driven vision has come to fruition.

https://aif360.mybluemix.net/ 

https://2020.allthingsopen.org/events/inclusion-diversity-in-open-source/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHRs5dCTbpg

About Saishruthi Swaminathan

Saishruthi Swaminathan is a Data Scientist and Ethical AI Advocate based in Silicon Valley. From a small village in India to the hustle of tech’s leading incubator; Saishruthi’s expertise and technical prowess in ethical AI and open source contribution has allowed her the opportunity to speak at over 50 events in Data Science, DevOps, and Ethical AI, including chief guest at AI for INDIA 1.0 to speak about bias mitigation in AI Models. A Guinness World Record Holder as one of the 600,000 individuals who built a python app, Saishruthi is well regarded as an expert in the field. A revered role champion for diversity and inclusion, Saishruthi’s work is focused on mitigating biases in AI models; which would result in co-creating the R-Code for the AI-Fairness 360 product.