Barbara Isaksen - A Woman in AI

Barbara Isaksen and I recently sat down to plan out some events and I figured it would be the perfect time to ask her some questions on how she came to be a woman in AI. Besides being a co-founder of Women in AI Denmark, Barbara also works as a Senior AI Solution Manager at Todai , an AI consultancy house located in Copenhagen.

So, Barbara, you haven’t always been working with AI - you also have some other perspectives such as product development, UX and art. When and why did your interest for AI start?

Throughout my career, I've been driven by the desire to understand how companies can leverage technology to make better decisions that shape a better future.

I really wanted to get into AI because of the impact. On one hand it's incredible technical, but then we have this other side which is immensely humanistic. That really caught my attention.

I started asking: what is the future of AI and how can we make it best? And that perspective still drives me today.

How do you think UX design and some of your other expertise in digital areas contributes to the AI field?

I started my career in UX design, and later moved into product development, business development, and now I work as a Senior AI Solution Manager.

When you create solutions with AI, you should treat it as a product design. In other words, you have to design it with a user-first mind-set. AI shouldn't be tech-first.

What the AI outputs affects how the users behave and what decisions they make. And how the users behave and how they make decisions affects what the AI should output.

By bringing UX designers and data scientists together in collaboration, the finale solution can be significantly improved. In my opinion, you cannot do AI without UX. Cause then you are doing AI for AI's sake, and not the user.

I'm happy that I can use some of the skills I've learned in the early stages of my career when I work with AI today.

Before you started in AI you were the owner and manager of an art gallery. Do you think AI and art compliments each other?

I had an art gallery and creative space in Ubud, Bali for around two years between 2018 and 2020, exhibiting local artists. I love art, but I am in no definition an art expert.

The rise of generative AIs such as Dall-E and Midjourney is completely changing the landscape of graphic design and art. AI-generated artworks are now being exhibited in galleries, winning competitions, and even being sold for millions of US dollars.

In my view AI is simply another medium for expression. Art is all about getting people to feel something, no matter if it's made with a pen, paint or prompting.

We have to remember that AI is about as creative as a paintbrush. It's a tool. A medium. There is no such thing as "AI doing art". Prompting is a written specification of a creative vision. That vision does not come from an AI, but from the person.

I believe that AI can be a creativity enhancer, that helps artists come up with unique patterns, shapes and scenarios that a person may not have thought of.

Though, there is a lot of work that still ned to be done in regards to ownership, copyright, and the rights of living artists.

You didn’t choose the straight path into AI yourself. What advice would you give women who are just getting started in AI?

You don't have to be a data scientist to work with AI. We need everyone. HR, operations, facilitators, product managers, marketing leads, analysts, UX designers - you name it.

When I first got curious about AI I had a hard time figuring out if the world of AI had space for someone like me? Rather than engineering my CV mentions roles in business, marketing, UX, and design. And I don’t have a hidden love or talent for mathematics either.

There is a place for everyone. It doesn’t really matter what profile you have now. Whether you're a dentist, designer, or work in finance, you can add AI on top of your current skillset and find ways to make knowledge of AI an asset in your work. Shifting your career focus from ‘Your Current Positions’ + ‘AI’ will put you ahead of the curve.

AI can create value in all industries. Having a basic knowledge of what AI can, and cannot do, could make you the person in your company who ends up leading the initiatives to get this value. Don't be scared to take what you are already good at, and add some AI on top.

Why did you choose to be a part of starting Women in AI Denmark?

When I began working in the AI industry, I wasn't sure what direction to go. I started to dig into different topics of AI and attended all events and conferences I could sneak my way into.

All these events had two things in common: the majority of attendees were men, and the stages were dominated by male speakers.

I was desperately looking for female rolemodels to look up to, but looking in on the industry from the outside, I couldn't find them anywhere.

The reality is that there are women experts in AI and Tech, there are actually a lot of them, but they are not as visible as their male peers. I started Women in AI to make the women who already work with AI in Denmark visible, to make them stay in the industry (unfortunately a lot leave), and to inspire the new generations to pursue a career in AI.

By empowering and supporting women in their careers in AI, we can create a more inclusive and equitable industry that benefits everyone.

Artificial intelligence will reflect the values of its creators. And since half of the worlds population is women, getting more women into the AI teams is a good place to start creating a better, more inclusive future.

If you found this interview insightful stay tuned for more interviews in our series and if you have ideas for certain questions you want me to ask in the next interviews feel free to reach out.?