ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI), a concept that once existed in sci-fi movies, has manifested in the real world and is quickly evolving. It leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind. Through AI, developers worldwide are working to answer the Turing question: “Can machines think?” with a confident “YES!”

However, until there is adequate diversity in AI, we may be stuck on this question for a long time. Diversity is the condition of having or being composed of differing elements, but limiting its definition to persons of different races, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, and ages, would not be diverse at all.

AI is growing exponentially and impacting people from all backgrounds, yet the people developing this technology and fuelling its growth do not appropriately represent these diverse backgrounds. With increased diversity and improved representation, we could be one step closer to answering Turing’s question in the affirmative. A genuine increase in diversity, and not just the inclusion of people to meet quotas, could lead to exponential growth in AI — more significant innovation, creativity, and productivity.

Greater Innovation

To innovate means introducing changes and new ideas to how something is done or made. Technological evolution is happening at an exponential rate. If outdated practices and principles continue to rule the workspaces, we won’t continue progressing at this speed; we will find ourselves coming to a screeching halt. On the other hand, with increased diversity and representation the industry is poised to unlock new developments that drive market growth by enabling the non-linear novel thinking and adaptability that innovation requires.

Greater Creativity

Familiarity is comfortable, but comfort zones do not boast optimal conditions for cultivating creativity. Nothing beats an “Aha!” moment — when all the dots connect and the big picture finally becomes focused. We can’t have these moments in the development of AI if all the dots are concentrated in the same space. With a skilled talent pool that crosses borders and transcends tick boxes on a personal data form, there will be an overflow of “Aha!” moments because of the wealth of new, unique knowledge to tap into so as to solve problems and accomplish tasks. Diverse people will have varying thought patterns, experiences, and skills at their disposal that will bolster developments in AI.

Greater Productivity

Productivity slows when there is a skill deficit. AI development demands different skills which are unlikely to be found in a single person. Even the most straightforward projects require different levels of skills in various areas. If teams are homogeneous they will most likely fail at efficiently solving a problem. The inverse of this is that diverse groups, filled with the right balance of capabilities, ensure that where one member lacks particular competencies, other members can shoulder the task and execute it without wasting resources such as time and money.

Increasing diversity and improving representation in AI workspaces can seem like a challenging hill to climb; however, differences in beliefs, approaches and ideas don’t have to be faultlines from which conflict emerges, but opportunities for us to expand the industry. Each successful attempt to improve our workspaces leads us closer to developing machines that can actually think and think well.

Stacey Hines is the immediate past president of the Jamaica Technology & Digital Alliance.