How AI can help shatter barriers to equality | Jamila Gordon

TL;DR

This content tells the story of Jamila, a former nomad who overcame adversities and found success, and how she now uses AI to break down barriers and create opportunities for others.

Transcript

My father used to call me Jamila "Gabar Nasiib Nasiib Badan," which means Jamila "The Lucky, Lucky Girl." And I have been very fortunate in my life. My family were originally nomads. And when it rained the night I was born, they stopped in a tiny village that looked a bit like this, where we lived in the next 11 years until drought and a war with E... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌍The speaker's family were originally nomads, but settled in a village before being forced to move to Mogadishu due to drought and war.
• 🚨The speaker and her 13 siblings were at risk of being killed in the civil war, but her father managed to get them out of Somalia.
• 🎒The speaker ended up in Kenya as a displaced person and eventually came to Australia, where she received unemployment benefits while learning English.
• 🍣The speaker found work in a Japanese restaurant as a dishwasher and kitchen hand, which eventually led her to become a software developer and global executive.
• 💼The speaker now wants to use artificial intelligence (AI) to provide disadvantaged people with tools and skills to find work and succeed.
• 🌐AI has helped break down barriers of language, education, and location, making amazing things possible for organizations and individuals who would have been left behind.
• 🍳AI in the food industry can create transparency, reward ethical and sustainable producers, improve safety, provide individualized training, and bridge language barriers.
• 💧The speaker's childhood experience of carrying heavy buckets of water taught her resilience, and she wants to create a world where nobody is limited by language, geography, or lack of access to knowledge and training.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Jamila and her family end up in Australia?

Jamila and her family ended up in Australia after her father realized that Somalia was headed for a civil war. He made efforts to get Jamila and her 13 siblings out of the country, and they were eventually scattered. Jamila ended up as a displaced person in Kenya and was fortunate to come to Australia with the help of a backpacker she met there.

Q: How did Jamila initially find work in Australia?

Jamila initially found work in Australia at a Japanese restaurant. Despite her limited English skills, she decided to try her luck and applied for a job at the restaurant. The woman who ran the front of the house, Mami, was concerned about Jamila's language abilities and introduced her to her husband, Yoshi, who ran the kitchen. Yoshi hired Jamila as a dishwasher and trained her as a kitchen hand.

Q: What were the barriers AI helped to break down for disadvantaged people?

AI helped to break down barriers such as language, education, and location for disadvantaged people. In the food industry, many employees come from migrant, refugee, or disadvantaged backgrounds and may struggle with speaking the local language or reading and writing. With AI, individualized training can be provided in a person's preferred language, both in written and audio formats, making it easier for them to learn and excel in their jobs.

Q: How can AI be used to improve safety and training in the workplace?

AI can be used to notice unsafe behaviors in the workplace, such as improper use of personal protective gear or failure to follow hygiene procedures. It can also provide assistance to individuals who need help with specific tasks or ensure social distancing measures are being followed. By delivering individualized training in the preferred language of each employee, AI can contribute to creating a safer and more productive work environment.

Q: What is Jamila's vision for the future with AI?

Jamila envisions a world where people are not limited by factors such as local language, geography, or lack of access to knowledge and training. She wants a world where everyone can feel safe at work and where nobody is excluded because they cannot read or write. Jamila believes that AI has the potential to deliver this world, where everyone can fulfill their potential and overcome the barriers that hold them back in life.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker's family were originally nomads but settled in a village when the speaker was born. They were later forced to move to Mogadishu due to drought and war.

• The speaker's father helped the family escape the civil war in Somalia, but they were scattered. The speaker ended up in Kenya and eventually came to Australia.

• The speaker's journey led them to work in a Japanese restaurant, where they were trained and eventually became a software developer and executive. They now want to use AI to help disadvantaged people find work and overcome language and location barriers.