Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments have seen a downward trend from its high point in 2020. New data from ROI communications has shed light on the state of DEI-related budgets, diversity officer roles, and predictions for the future of corporate DEI. A Decline From 2020’s high point Roles for DEI first increased following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, with tech companies, in particular, pledging to boost their diversity efforts. A global leadership consulting firm, DDI found that many companies are regressing their DEI programs. According to Bloomberg,
Latimer, named after African-American inventor Lewis Latimer, is a new platform trying to make generative AI more inclusive. Nicknamed the Black GPT, Latimer is a new large language model (LLM) built to reflect the experience, culture, and history of Black and brown people more accurately. The platform recently announced new partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to help bring the inclusive tool to students, agencies, brands, and the general public. Tackling racial bias and erasure Many generative AI models amplify the bias, inaccuracy, and erasure of Black and
Google has announced an additional $2 million investment in Morehouse College and Hampton University as part of an ongoing collaboration with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). According to UNCF, Google has invested over $50 million over a number of years to elevate talent and innovation at Historically Black Universities (HBCUs). Supporting students to pursue tech careers Morehouse College and Hampton University will receive $1 million each to invest in technical infrastructure aimed to support in-class and remote learning. The universities will also develop curriculum and career support programs for
Michigan Central and Newlab have announced the Founder Fellowship, a Detroit-based program supporting a cohort of five climate tech founders from underrepresented backgrounds. A New Mobility Innovation District Michigan Central is Ford Motor Company’s new $1 billion mobility innovation district in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood. The hub is part of Ford Motor Company’s vision to reshape the future of global mobility, working with key partners and suppliers and connecting to a broader network of city and regional assets and testing. Newlab, is a tech incubator founded to address societal needs
Sony Group has announced the establishment of the Sony Innovation Fund: Africa (SIF: AF) to support the growth of African entertainment businesses. Sony Innovation Fund The Sony Innovation Fund invests in technology-driven transformational companies shaping the future of business, entertainment, and society. Since 2016, Sony has been participating in the ecosystem of new business creation worldwide, with SIF specifically investing in seed to early-seed companies. The fund invests in startups bringing creativity and promising innovations to the world who’d benefit from partnering with Sony. Sony also has the Innovation Growth
Grammy-winning artist John Legend has co-founded his first-ever tech startup, It’s Good, to give users personalized food, travel, and experience recommendations. The company, co-founded by tech entrepreneur Mike Rosenthal, recently raised $5 million in a seed funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Legend previously co-founded Cravings – a food e-commerce site – with his wife, Chrissy Teigen. The “It’s Good” App It’s Good is an invite-only platform that delivers travel, food, and experience recommendations from people you know and critics, celebrities, and influencers. Launched in March with a select
A South African digital bank, Bank Zero, has expanded into commercial banking with the launch of its zero-cost business banking app. Disrupting Traditional Banking Bank Zero was founded by tech entrepreneur Michael Jordaan, banking innovator Yatin Narsai, and five other co-founders. Founded in 2018, the company entered the South African market three years later and is now 45% Black-owned and 20% women-owned. The co-founders have a combination of deep and diverse banking and technology skills, with extensive experience in and knowledge of banking through previous roles. Bank Zero aims to disrupt
Elon Musk’s X – formerly Twitter – has been accused of illegally firing an employee after she challenged its return-to-office policy. The complaint, the first filed by the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against X, accuses the company of violating US labor law. Fired Over A Tweet? In November 2022, Elon Musk reportedly ordered workers back to the office, saying, “If you can physically make it to an office and you don’t show up, resignation accepted.” In response, Yao Yue, then a principal software engineer at X, tweeted, “Don’t
Spotify has launched a pilot of Voice Translation for podcasts, using OpenAI technology to translate podcasts into other languages in the original podcaster’s voice. While making English-language podcasts more accessible to global audiences, there are concerns about the growing use of AI translation and voice generation technologies. Voice Translation Spotify announced they are piloting a new feature that translates English-spoken episodes into other languages, such as Spanish, French, and German. The feature is powered by OpenAI’s voice generation technology to clone the original podcaster’s voice. Spotify stated it would match
This Hispanic Heritage Month, POCIT spoke with Marcos Navas, the CEO of Latinos in Coding, about his work to empower Latinx communities in tech and make coding more accessible. By 2045, the minorities of the US will make up the majority of the workforce, with the Latinx community playing a pivotal role in this shift. Despite making up 17% of the workforce, Latinx people currently account for only 8% of workers in STEM. Coding is the language of the modern world, Navas argues, with the COVID-19 pandemic shedding light on
