Operation HOPE and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have launched an AI Ethics Council to help ensure marginalized poplations and people of color are included in the AI developments. The announcement comes amid criticisms of OpenAI, Meta, and other major players in the AI space lacking diversity on their boards and decision-making bodies. A Historic Partnership According to a press release, OpenAI’s partnership with Operation HOPE, a leading nonprofit dedcated to financial literacy for underserved communities, began with a listening tour at Clark Atlanta University in spring 2024. During this tour,
Earlybird AI, a B2B startup that assists job seekers using innovative multilingual, voice-first AI technology, has raised £625,000 ($800,000) in pre-seed funding. The investment comes from diverse backers, including Google, Resolution Ventures, and Ada Ventures. Tackling Unemployment With AI Earlybird AI addresses a pressing issue: nearly 11 million people in the UK are unemployed, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4% between February and April 2024. Founded by Claudine Adeyemi-Adams and Boris Bambo, the platform improves employment support by directly engaging participants through simulated voice-powered connections. Adeyemi-Adams, who experienced homelessness
The world’s first artificial intelligence beauty pageant from has crowned its inaugural winner, Kenza Layli from Morocco. The competition, organized by the World AI Creator Awards, showcased AI-generated models vying for the title of Miss AI. Layli, an AI-generated activist and influencer, won from a pool of over 1,500 contestants, winning a prize package worth over $13,000. AI Influencer Kenza Layli Layli, known for engaging content and activism, has over 193,000 Instagram followers. Her digital persona is dedicated to empowering women in Morocco and the Middle East. Her creator, Meriam
DeCarlos Love has been named CEO of Thrive AI Health, a new AI health startup funded by OpenAI Startup Fund and Thrive Global. Writing for TIME, Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, and Arianna Huffington, the founder of Huffington Post and Thrive Global, explained that Thrive AI Health will offer a hyper-personalized AI health coach. Thrive AI Health Thrive AI Health aims to build AI-powered assistant tech to democratize access to expert-level health coaching to improve health outcomes. The startup will use generative AI to hyper-personalize and scale behavior change
Girls in Tech Inc., a global nonprofit focused on advancing women in technology, has closed due to insufficient funding. Founded in 2007 by Adriana Gascoigne, the organization aimed to bridge the gender gap in the tech industry, providing resources and opportunities for women and allies worldwide. Despite its significant presence, with 130,000 members in 50 cities and 38 countries, the organization has struggled financially over the past few years. Relocation and Financial Struggles In 2022, Girls in Tech moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Nashville, a strategic shift intended
FanDuel is hiring on POCIT Meet Akilah Hugine-Elmore, a sports enthusiast who found her dream job by merging her love for sports with her expertise in UX research. A former basketball and softball player and avid sports watcher, Akilah is now the UX Research Director at FanDuel, America’s #1 Sportsbook. In this interview, she tells POCIT how she turned her passions into a fulfilling career. Introduce yourself and what you do at FanDuel. My name is Akilah. I’ve worked at FanDuel since August 2021 and am on the UX research team.
The Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) have granted $51 million to the Tulsa Hub for Equitable and Trustworthy Autonomy (THETA). Led by Tulsa Innovation Labs, the initiative aims to enhance the region’s capabilities in autonomous systems through advanced manufacturing and technology deployment. Tulsa’s Legacy of Innovation Tulsa is one of 12 regions awarded funding from the 31 designated “Tech Hubs” last fall. This federal investment leverages Tulsa’s strong history in aerospace and manufacturing to push U.S. leadership inequitable and trustworthy autonomous systems. The city’s focus areas
Television producer and writer Shonda Rhimes has become the newest part owner of the Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC). The club is the inaugural team in the tech-driven TGL league, co-founded by golf legend Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. “I’m beyond excited to announce my involvement as the newest owner of Los Angeles Golf Club, the inaugural team in the @tglgolf league. I can’t wait to bring my passion for golf to this incredible venture,” Rhimes shared on Instagram. “Joining this team is an honor and, as someone who believes
NASA has awarded $1.2 million to 23 minority-serving institutions (MSIs), including Spelman College, Fayetteville State University, Hampton University, and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. This funding aims to enhance their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), research and technology capabilities while contributing to NASA’s missions. Advancing STEM at Minority-Serving Institutions The awards are part of NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) initiative. Each selected institution will receive up to $50,000 over six months, allowing them to work directly on STEM projects
SOJO, a Deliveroo-style clothing repair and alterations collection and delivery app, has announced a new partnership with a major UK retailer The Black woman-owned platform will power Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) new clothing repairs and alterations service. Making clothing repairs mainstream Founder Josephine Philips was driven by a belief in a slower and more considered approach to society’s relationship with fashion, leading her to start SOJO in 2021. The collaboration with M&S aims to make clothing repairs more accessible and mainstream, aligning with both companies’ commitments to sustainability. The partnership
