SAN FRANCISCO — Partnership on AI, a non-profit partnership of academic, civil society, industry, and media organizations, announced today the release of After the Offer: The Role of Attrition in AI’s Diversity Problem, a comprehensive paper focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the attrition of minoritized workers, specifically women and people of color, in the tech industry and field of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

As the country continues to navigate unprecedented resignation trends across industries, this study is one of the first to provide distinct guidelines on what can be done to improve the inclusivity of the AI field – and articulate a path forward for tech companies. The study was conducted through interviews with individuals belonging to minoritized identities across AI fields, managers, and DEI leaders in tech, and offers a comprehensive landscape review of the systemic workplace and workforce issues at play related to attrition.

Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Diversity and Inclusion Research Fellow at PAI and author of the paper, said, “We have known for some time that attrition in the tech industry has disproportionately impacted minoritized workers, but through this study, we are finally able to identify and name the systemic causes at play – and outline real, actionable recommendations to help the field foster inclusive environments and ultimately emerge stronger for the future.”

Among the findings shared were four key recommendations on what must be done to make the AI field more inclusive for all.

1. Organizations must systemically support Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which were largely identified as one of the main sources of support for AI workers.
2. Organizations must intentionally diversify leadership and managers.
3. DEI trainings must be specific in order to be effective, and be more connected to the content of AI work.
4. Organizations must interrogate their values as practiced and fundamentally alter them to include the perspectives of people who are not White, cis, or male.

As part of the study’s launch, PAI is bringing together distinguished experts on technology and DEI for a panel event on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Details on the public event below.

TITLE: Attrition in AI: Strategies for Retaining Diverse Talent

WHEN: Wednesday, April 27 at 10 am PT/1pm ET

WHO:

• Moderator: Tina M. Park, Head of Inclusive Research and Design, Partnership on AI
• Panelist: Jeffrey Brown, Diversity and Inclusion Research Fellow, Partnership on AI
• Panelist: Allison Scott, CEO, Kapor Center
• Other panelists to be announced

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Partnership on AI (PAI) is a non-profit partnership of academic, civil society, industry, and media organizations creating solutions so that AI advances positive outcomes for people and society. PAI studies and formulates sociotechnical approaches to the responsible development of AI technologies to advance the public’s understanding of AI and to serve as an open platform for discussion and engagement about AI and its influences on people and society. Today, PAI convenes nearly 100 partner organizations from around the world to be a uniting force for the responsible development and fielding of AI technologies.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2022
Contact: Melanie Moon / 301-775-3491 / melanie@spitfirestrategies.com