To keep the EVE Program’s 15th anniversary celebrations going, our “Practice” section continues to shine a light on people who are redefining leadership. This month, we met with Arielle Kitio, a Cameroonian entrepreneur and computer scientist, co-founder of Mission NOVA and founder of Caysti. Read on to find out how she uses technology as a tool for emancipation.
At what point did you become aware of your ability to inspire?
Arielle Kitio: It actually happened quite recently. But I realized that I love learning and sharing knowledge with others back in 2007.
How do you think technology can help fight inequality and empower girls and women?
Arielle Kitio: Technology can help fight inequality, but sadly it can also contribute to widening it even further. Look at deepfakes, which more often portray female leaders as emotional or incompetent. Nearly 96% of pornographic deepfakes expose women’s bodies, sexist biases are widely reproduced by AI, and cyberbullying affects girls and women much more than it does men.
But in a certain way, yes, technology does provide a space for women to speak, learn, be active, find opportunities, and express their talents and skills. When technology works properly, you don’t wonder whether it was created by a man or a woman.
Women face more challenges before they can reach the stage of technological creation: stereotypes related to skills, difficulties securing funding, and sometimes even endogenous and exogenous stereotypes that make people believe certain fields are “only for men”.
How have you brought diversity into tech/AI? What exactly have you done?
Arielle Kitio: I address the issue of tech/AI from a broader perspective than just gender. I’m interested in tech/AI ethics and inclusion in general. The role of children, women, Africans (at individual and national levels), and people in vulnerable situations, interests me on a daily basis.
However, the scale of the undertaking is such that it can sometimes feel like just a drop in the ocean. We choose to invest in the future, and we go on hoping there will be more collective awareness to encourage greater cooperation. Our initiatives include:
- Mission NOVA: the very first reality TV show in the form of a technology competition in which children aged 10 to 18 solve tech challenges live. IoT, robotics, AI, 3D, programming, digital creativity applied to healthcare, education, culture, etc. Children use their skills to solve real problems while proudly representing their country. Co-produced with AFO Media
- ClubTech Academy: a technology center for children to raise their awareness and introduce them to new technologies in a fun and hands-on way. More than 30,000 children have benefited so far.
- TechWomenFactory: a training and professional integration program for women in digital professions. Women who are unemployed, underemployed, or undergoing career changes take a highly practical training course (data science, web development or digital art), then are placed in companies, outsourcing agencies or supported with project incubation. 182 jobs have been created in two years.
- I3DE: a program that brings 3D miniFabLabs into public high schools so students can design their own teaching materials (self-produced educational kits).
- My Autrement show is available on AFOMedia. In it, I analyze and raise awareness about urgent and critical issues (ethics, sovereignty) related to the breathtaking advances in technology: from designer babies to brain chips, totalitarianism, technofascism, digital immortality, cognitive decline, the damage that screens cause to children, etc.
“Designer babies: Is science going too far?”
“With AI, is choosing a career for your children a thing of the past?”
“A chip in the brain”
“Are screens the new drug for children?”
“Will all our African children be Chinese?”
How can a role model inspire others to dare to think outside the box?
Arielle Kitio: By definition, a role model is someone who inspires by taking action or fighting battles. I think when action is aligned with a coherent vision (not just words) it can truly inspire.
How do you go on reinventing yourself when you become a role model?
Arielle Kitio: It’s best to avoid taking yourself too seriously and overthinking. Always step back and think about what you’re doing. Do what you have to, do what you believe in, move forward in accordance with your values, and accept that doubt, failure, and difficulty are all part of the adventure. And above all, stay humble and grateful.
What practical advice would you like to share with the EVE community to encourage them to dare?
I’ll quote Oscar Wilde who said, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken”. To me, our unique fingerprints speak volumes: we’re each here to contribute something no one else can. Time waits for nobody; it will outlive us all… So why not take advantage of our time here to leave a beautiful and indelible mark?
