In celebration of International Women’s Day, we speak with Joyce Gordon, Head of Generative AI, Amperity about her fast-evolving role and what it takes to drive tech leadership and diversity in today’s AI-driven era.
In your role as the Head of Generative AI at Amperity, how do you believe investing in women, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, can accelerate progress within the tech industry?
The rapid innovation in AI is ushering in a new era of technology. There’s so much opportunity for advancement with AI and also many risks. We’re in a time period where creative problem solving is particularly important and being able to understand problems from many different angles is critical. There are no playbooks we can reference for the many questions about how to responsibly use AI.
Diverse teams are often the most innovative teams. Different perspectives unlock creative problem solving and an open mindedness that arises from spending time with colleagues who have different ways of viewing the world. These team members challenge one another and iterate towards novel solutions together.
I expect that we’ll see the most innovative AI work emerge from teams that are diverse. Diversity arises in many ways from domain expertise to gender to race. Investing in women is one way that companies can begin to cultivate diversity.
Diversity and inclusion are crucial for innovation. How has Amperity embraced and supported diversity as a company, and what positive impacts have you observed as a result of a diverse team in advancing technological solutions?
At Amperity, diversity and inclusion are integral to our culture, promoting innovation and impactful technological solutions. Our approach includes:
- Women in Leadership: Actively promoting women into leadership roles to provide role models and break down biases.
- Mentorship Programs: Implementing robust mentorship initiatives for underrepresented groups, fostering professional growth and a supportive network.
- Valuing Different Perspectives: Actively seeking diverse perspectives, skills and experiences to contribute to a richer and more innovative work environment.
The positive impacts observed include increased innovation, enhanced employee engagement and creative solutions that resonate with the market. Amperity believes that embracing diversity is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic advantage contributing to our continued success.
As a leader in AI, what advice do you have for young women aspiring to enter the tech industry, especially in roles related to artificial intelligence and machine learning? How can they navigate and thrive in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field?
Your journey in AI and machine learning is not just about navigating a traditionally male-dominated field but contributing your unique voice to drive innovation and positive change. Embrace your skills, seek support, and remember that your presence is essential in shaping the future of technology.
International Women’s Day encourages us to celebrate achievements and raise awareness. Can you share a notable success story or achievement from your career?
I’m really proud of building out Amperity’s Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning Operations (ML Ops) products alongside a diverse team across many dimensions. Developing out of the box ML models that perform well across hundreds of brands, with distinct underlying business dynamics, was no easy task and required pushing the bounds of existing ML techniques. We were successful because of the creative ideas that folks on the team brought, our ability to listen to and incorporate different perspectives, and the way we constructively challenged each other.
The outcome was a solution that not only resulted in over five patents and a peer-reviewed publication but, more importantly, delivered substantial customer value. This success highlights the positive impact of diversity and innovation in achieving meaningful outcomes for both the team and the customers.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, what message do you have for organisations and leaders who may still be hesitant to prioritise investment in women, and how can they be encouraged to take action to accelerate progress?
Mounting research demonstrates that businesses with higher gender diversity consistently outperform their peers. Take a look:
- Organisations in the top quartile for gender diversity are 25% more likely to financially outperform their peers
- Diverse companies earn 2.5x higher cash flow per employee
- Inclusive teams are more productive by over 35%
Beyond financials and productivity, companies that embrace DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiatives also benefit by attracting and retaining top talent. Recent research shows that more than 75% would not consider working for a company that fails to commit significant resources to prioritising DEI initiatives.
Investing in women isn’t just a statistical advantage – it’s an ethical imperative and a catalyst for positive societal change. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s essential for organisations and leaders to recognise that prioritising women’s empowerment is not merely about improving the bottom line but about fostering a culture of equality, inclusivity and collective growth.
About Joyce Gordon, Head of Generative AI, Amperity
Joyce is the Head of Generative AI at Amperity, leading product development and strategy. Previously, Joyce led product development for many of Amperity’s ML and ML Ops investments, including launching Amperity’s predictive models and infrastructure. Joyce joined the company in 2019 following Amperity’s acquisition of Custora where she was a founding member of the product team. She earned a B.A. in Biological Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania and is an inventor on several pending ML patents.
About Amperity
Amperity delivers the data confidence brands need to unlock growth by truly knowing their customers. With Amperity, brands can build a unified customer profile foundation powered by first-party data to fuel customer acquisition and retention, personalize experiences that build loyalty, and manage privacy compliance. Using patented AI and machine learning methods, Amperity stitches together all customer interactions to build a unified view that seamlessly connects to marketing and technology tools. More than 400 brands worldwide rely on Amperity to turn data into business value, including Alaska Airlines, Brooks Running, Endeavour Drinks, Planet Fitness, Seattle Sounders FC, Under Armour and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. For more information, please visit www.amperity.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.