According to a recent report on building career paths for women in artificial intelligence (AI), mentoring was a crucial driver for experts’ success in AI and machine learning (ML). (Photo credit: Depositphotos).

The report, co-led by diversity, equity, and inclusion officers at Deloitte AI Institute and Amazon Web Services (AWS), illuminated how active mentorship in early STEM education can help young women and girls become AI leaders that organizations can champion, retain, and promote.

Among the report’s key recommendations: build and showcase archetypes of women working in AI, provide education on AI, mentor future women in AI, and create a culture of diversity and inclusion at all levels.

The AI Accelerator Institute (AIAI) launched its Women in AI: Breaking the Mold podcast in February 2023. The host, Marisa Garanhel, a copywriter at AIAI, introduced the series as “a platform for women in AI to share their knowledge, insights, and ideas.”

The first guest on the show was Ana Simion, the chief executive officer and chief data scientist at INRO London. According to her bio on the podcast’s website, she also set up the Simion Insitute of Innovation, focusing on technologies such as computer vision, mixed realities, AR and VR, and data science in the supply chain.

The talking points in the episode include Ana’s journey into AI, the biggest challenge she faced in her journey, where she thinks the trends in AI are shifting, advice for companies thinking about deploying AI, and tips for women who want to work in AI.