In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Michele Malejki, Global Head of Social Impact for HP and Director of the HP Foundation, joins host Boaz Ashkenazy to discuss digital equity in the age of AI and global technological advancement. Malejki shares her journey from Wall Street to Cambodia, and how these experiences shaped her vision for accelerating digital equity on a global scale. From HP's ambitious goal to impact 150 million people by 2030 to the nuanced challenges of the digital divide, Malejki offers insights into the power of combining business innovation with philanthropy. She explores the importance of local solutions, the role of AI in social impact, and her optimistic view on the future of work and technology. If you are interested in how corporate initiatives and community-driven approaches can shape a more digitally inclusive world, you won't want to miss this episode.

[00:00:36] Introduction to Michele Malejki and Her Role at HP

[00:01:31] Michele's Journey: From Banking to Global Impact

[00:05:57] Lessons Learned from International Development Work

[00:10:10] The Clinton Global Initiative Experience

[00:12:33] HP's Approach to Digital Equity and Social Impact

[00:14:35] Understanding the Complexities of the Digital Divide

[00:18:15] AI's Role in Business and Sustainability

[00:22:16] The Council of Cornell Women and Mentorship

[00:26:10] HP's Digital Equity Accelerator Program

[00:28:49] Future of Work and AI: Onwards and Upwards

Connect with Michele Malejki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-malejki-71169865/

Connect with Boaz Ashkenazy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy

X: boazashkenazy

Email: shift@simplyaugmented.ai

Quotes:

9:36

“What that experience taught me was the power of actually having the individuals who are being impacted at the table and at the highest levels. And so, for me, what was exciting was to join all of these meetings and to actually see the people from the countries where their solutions were being talked about quite literally driving the answer forward and it's absolutely now what we try and do within the team that I'm on at HP is make sure there are no siloed solutions coming out of this and we're truly thinking about what are we even trying to address? Do we have it in our head right or do we have to step back and talk to those being impacted?”

17:45

“You have to know what you're doing with the technology that you have. My Cambodia experience showed me there's so many times technology gets dropped in a classroom, someone checks the box that a solution has arrived and they leave. And it never gets used. There's no confidence to use this in front of a classroom of children or learning adults and you say to yourself, what was it all for? So, I think that holistic approach is truly what allows the power of partnership, but it also allows companies to think about what's your unique value and being able to help be a part of the solution.”