At Insight, we have over 450 members with a diversity of skills, abilities, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, responsibilities and resources. Our strength lies in our diversity.
We know, however, that the tech sector globally has a diversity problem and there are still too many structural constraints, both obvious and hidden, that result in uneven representation in our sector and in our Centre. These constraints lock out skills and perspectives and limit our potential to realise our research mission.
With this in mind we have established an EDI committee within Insight to examine how we can identify and eliminate structural constraints in our sector and in our Centre through research, dialogue and targeted action. We have developed an EDI Action Plan to guide activities.
EDI Action Plan
Communications Toolkit & Gender, Inclusion and Diversity Checklist
The EDI Committee has developed a Toolkit and Checklist for use by Insight members when preparing presentations, documents or any communications resources for internal or external audiences. You can download the pdf here: EDI Toolkit & Checklist
Insight EDI Committee
The Insight EDI Committee is in place to promote and bring awareness and guidance to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within our Centre.
Our members are committed to four priority areas;
- Recruitment and Retention
- Inclusive Research
- Training and Development
- Community and Culture
1. Recruitment and Retention Team
2. Inclusive Research Team
3. Training and Development Team
4. Community and Culture Team
Targeted EDI Action at Insight
Across the four Insight partner sites of DCU, UCC, UCD and NUI Galway, there is a wide range of activities targeted at diversifying our campuses and fostering inclusion and equality at all levels. Programmes such as Athena Swan accreditation provide Insight members with the opportunity to contribute to EDI development on the ground in our partner universities.
At the level of our Centre, we are increasingly providing platforms for the development of EDI measures to support our members and examine our recruitment processes. The work of EDI Committee will see more opportunities for Insight members to examine and tackle obstacles to equality, diversity and inclusion in AI research. Here are some examples of Insight EDI activities at the Centre:
Insight Diversity Communications Campaign: International Women’s Day 2023
Feminist AI and Data Feminism – Event
Neurodiversity and Postgraduate Employment – Event
EDI Research at Insight
The AI research community has a responsibility to ensure that we do not contribute to AI systems that reinforce inequality and exclusion. At Insight we are concerned with how data science research serves communities beyond our Centre and our sector. See below for some examples of Insight research that is focused on producing more inclusive AI systems.
Cardamom – Comparative Deep Models for Minority and Historical Languages
Crowd4Access – Mapping the Accessibility of our Cities and Towns
Moving Well Being Well – A nationwide AI-supported physical literacy programme for primary schools