By Dhanura, student Grade 8
We were were astounded by how beautiful and large the Cap Gemini building was, with its moss walls and modern look. When everyone arrived, Mr. Giovanni and Ms. Annet spoke more about girls' day and IT. Ms. Annet spoke more about her life and how she got to the position she is in now.
AI image generating bias
Our first activity was working with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) image generator. It was a big screen with a small camera. My friends and I volunteered to go first and took a photo. After the photo was taken, there were many potions of what theme the picture would generate, such as fantasy, punk, etc. The generated photo turned out nothing like us; the only similarity was that we were girls in the photo. Then, after taking a few more photos, Mr. Giovanni explained bias in AI, specifically in image-generating AI. He spoke about how AI creates connections from the information it receives. This AI has more data on certain features and people, so it favours them and therefore creates more accurate images. For example if the AI picks up that you have long hair; it automatically turns you into a woman, but if you have short hair, it turns you into a man.The AI has also more data on people without glasses, so it cannot find a pattern if there are people wearing glasses and, therefore, does not show glasses.
After other stations where one group played a fruit game and the other a game wearing VR glasses we had time to eat our lunch. After lunch we divided ourselves into smaller group and we started talking to 2 women working with apps. We learned a lot about cyber security in apps and how specific testers test the app to see if it’s good and safe before putting it in the App Store. We were told that very few women work in this field and they would like more young women to join them.
Airport security & dashboards
Next, our group went to a woman who helped with airport security and how she helped the Schiphol Airport not to get hacked. She told us more about her life and how she switched from working in marketing to working for Capgemini. Then we went back to the hall and talked to a woman who works with KLM, an airline company. She helps with the communication between the people involved in the project. After talking to her, we visited another woman who makes client dashboards. She also makes dashboards for Cap Gemini, so it is easier to manage all the work. She sorts out all the information and puts it in the dashboard. Then she also told us that the company trains people to join the company.
Inspiring
It was very inspiring talking to many women employees about their jobs and how they contribute to the company. Many of the students learned more about IT and had a lot of respect for the women we met, because of how amazing their careers are. I never knew there were so few women in IT. Even in Capgemini, there are too few. I must thank everyone who worked hard to make this Girls' Day happen; it was a big success. Thank you to everyone!
