340: Critical Thinking over Code: Tess Posner, AI4ALL CEO, on Raising Responsible AI Leaders

Tess Posner is the CEO and founding leader of AI4ALL, a nonprofit that works to ensure the next generation of AI leaders is diverse and well-quipped to innovate. Since joining in 2017, she has focused on embedding ethics, responsibility, and real-world impact into AI education. Her work connects students from underrepresented backgrounds to hands-on projects and mentorships that prepare them to lead in tech. Beyond her role at AI4ALL, Tess is a musician whose 2023 EP Alchemy has over 600,000 streams on Spotify. She was named a 2020 Brilliant Woman in AI Ethics Hall of Fame Honoree and holds degrees from St. John’s University and Columbia University.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why AI literacy is becoming essential for everyone, from casual users to future developers
• The role of project-based learning in helping students see the real-world impact of AI
• What it takes to expand AI access for underrepresented communities
• How AI can either reinforce bias or drive real change, depending on who’s leading its development
• Why schools should stop penalizing AI use and instead teach students to use it with curiosity and responsibility
• Tess’s views on balancing optimism and caution in the development of AI tools

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Tess on LinkedIn or learn more about AI4ALL
• AI fun fact article
• On How To Build and Activate a Powerful Network
• Past episodes mentioned in this conversation:
  • [With Tess in 2020] - About what leaders do in a crisis
  • [With Tess in 2019] - About how to mitigate AI bias and hiring best practices 
  • [With Chris Caren, Turnitin CEO] - On Using AI to Prevent Students from Cheating
  • [With Marcus "Bellringer" Bell] - On Creating North America’s First AI Artist