How WOMEN shape the Future. Under this motto, SHEtech took place for the first time on 7 June as a hybrid event at the Haus des Meeres and online via live stream. AIT supported this event as a partner, which also took place in the course of the Startup Festival Vienna Up 23.
With over 100 visitors on site - mainly women - SHEtech was completely booked out. In panel discussions and three deep dives on the topics of "ICT & Digital Health", "Mobility" and "AI, Data & Cyber Security", 20 top-class speakers and two female speakers on stage gave insights from their experiences in their everyday professional lives. They also had ideas and tips for action at the ready and were also available to answer questions from the audience.
One thing was clear to all speakers: more women are needed in MINT professions (MINT = Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences, Technology). The question of how to achieve this was discussed a lot and some figures were put on the table. For example, Eva Czernohorszky, Head of Technology Services, of the Vienna Business Agency stated at the opening: "We only have a 25 percent share of women in in-house research, and there are still far too few women involved in Vienna's approximately 1,500 start-ups - the role of women is therefore still far too quiet." In view of the shortage of skilled workers, women should not be left out, said Czernohorszky.
Deep Dive "AI, Data & Cyber Security
Moderated by Stephanie Jakoubi (SBA Research, University of Vienna, Women4Cyber Austria, WOMENinICT Ambassador), the Deep Dive "AI & Cyber Security" featured five top-class speakers: In addition to Setareh Zafari from the AIT Center of Technology Experience, Ana Simic (DAIN Studios), Katharina Herzog (money:care), Heidelinde Rameder (T-Systems Austria, WOMENinICT Ambassador) and Carina Zehetmaier (Women in AI) were also invited to speak.
Setareh Zafari is originally from Tehran and completed her doctorate in social and economic sciences at the Vienna University of Technology with Sabine Köszegi on the topic of TrustRobot. For about a year, she has been working at the AIT at the Center for Technology Experience as a human-robot collaboration expert and also in the context of Industry 5.0 - a topic she sums up succinctly in three words: "Human-centred, sustainable and resilient!" She conveyed how exciting it is to be a researcher in our technology-driven world. "Specifically, I focus on the interaction between humans and intelligent machines, on the other hand, it's about the responsible use of robotics and automation."
Technology must bring added value to people
A certain challenge, she says, is the speed or rapid pace of technological change - but that makes it all the more exciting in science to be at the forefront of development. Technology should not be an end in itself; it is about "enabling meaningful collaboration between people and machines." The goal is to make these machines easier to control by developing intuitive interfaces (UI) and interaction mechanisms - "so that at the end of the day we become smarter and can work/live more easily," Zafari said.
Ana Simic, Managing Director of consultant DAIN Studio (Data, AI & Insights), conveyed how exciting and varied her job is: "Every day is different - we are consultants on data and AI and data is crucial in every industry. With the help of data and AI, processes can be improved decisively". According to Simic, there will be much more demand for well-qualified experts in the future. A statement that was also supported by Heidelinde Rameder from T-Systems: "Especially in the cyber security sector, there is a massive lack of skilled workers - and unfortunately there are far too few women in this field." Carina Zehetmaier, President of WOMENin AI, emphasised that especially in the field of AI, diversity must be taken into account from the very beginning in the development of algorithms and systems - which makes it all the more important that women also work as experts in this field. Last but not least, Katharina Herzog from money:care said that it was also a bit up to the women themselves: It also takes initiative, but "maybe you still have to nudge the women a bit so that they dare to take on STEM jobs."