Girls Who Code Launches “Speak On It” to Give Gen Z a Voice in the Future of AI

Girls Who Code is giving the microphone to Gen Z girls and nonbinary youth to share their feelings and opinions on AI through its new campaign, Speak On It. Currently, 71% of the AI workforce is men, creating a gender gap in the development and use of this technology. Speak On It aims to amplify the voices of girls and nonbinary youth while providing them with tools to learn more about AI.
 

Girls Who Code is collaborating with creators such as Elise Osafo, Delia Lazarescu, and Nadya Okamoto, who will share their honest views on AI to encourage girls and nonbinary youth to see themselves as active creators of AI. The organization is also teaming up with creator, comedian, and NYC tour guide LizaBanks, who will take to the streets to talk with girls, young women, and nonbinary people attending the New York Film Festival and New York Comic Con to gather their perspectives on AI. This interview series will continue with a Girls Who Code Speak On It episode of the TikTok show Are You Okay?
 

Girls Who Code also invites girls and nonbinary youth to share their voices through the Hot Take Hotline. Anyone can text their opinions, hopes, curiosities, or concerns about AI to 320-HOT-TAKE (320-468-8253). The top takes will be featured on speakonit.ai to inspire conversation and action around AI.
 

“With Speak On It, we are amplifying the voices of girls and nonbinary youth at a time when they are being left out of the rooms where AI is being created,” said Girls Who Code CEO, Tarika Barrett. “We believe AI can be a force for good, but only if it reflects the voices and values of all people. We need to prepare the next generation to shape AI responsibly, ethically, and creatively.”
 

Additionally, Girls Who Code partnered with UCLA on a qualitative study titled Youth & AI: What Young Women Think About Generative AI, exploring how Gen Z girls and nonbinary youth in California are making sense of Generative AI and its influence on their identities, futures, and actions.

Speak On It will run throughout October. Visit speakonit.ai and Girls Who Code’s social channels for more about the campaign and the latest videos and hot takes.