Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Shine My Crown
Thasunda Brown Duckett Says ‘The Time Is Now’ For Black Professionals To Accumulate AI Skills
By Gee NY,
3 days ago
TIAA president and CEO, Thasunda Brown Duckett, has said there is no better time than now for Black professionals to actively tap into the AIindustry.
She told Afrotech that through her leadership lens, she has come to understand that the most important think about approaching AI is the newskills it presents.
“When you think about theopportunityto shift and accumulate higherearnings, to accumulate a different shiftonyour trajectory, everyone’s at base camp in learning the skills, thecertifications,” she said, according to Afrotech.
She continued:
“The time is now for everyone. And I think we cannot subscribe to being afraid of it. We have to lean in and say, ‘You know what, let me take acodingclass. Let me take a [cybersecuritycourse] if I’m concerned about thesecurityof it all — let me jump in on this part.’ I think particularly forwomen, forpeopleofcolor, forAfrican Americans, we have to look at this as an opportunity to say, ‘I can accumulate skills. I can have the same baseline andchangethe trajectory of ourfamilyand of ourcommunity.’ And that to me is what’s also exciting. It’s a new frontier that we need to be at the table for, and we cannot shy away from it and think that it does not belong to us in terms of learning the skills that are required to transform whattechnologywillbe able to do across the globe.”
What’s more, Duckett was named on Forbes’ list of “The World’s Most Powerful Women” in 2023 and TIME’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024” the following year.
As Duckett continues to make efforts toward closing the racial retirement gap and women’s retirement gap and tirelessly advocates for DEI, she credits her foundation for fueling the leader she is today.
On July 5, 2024, at the Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) Business Summit during the Essence Festival Of Culture presented by Coca-Cola, she thanks her parents, Otis and Rosie Brown, for teaching her the level of resilience required to be a CEO as well as “the importance of seeing everyone.”
“My parents came from the segregated South. I’m first-generation, fullintegration,” the Arlington, TX, native told Rashida Jones, president of MSNBC, during the GBEF Business Summit fireside chat, “Visionary Leadership in Disruptive Times.”
She added:
“My dad scanned boxes and drove trucks, so how can I be a CEO and not see the people in the mailroom and thecontributionthat they make to my company?”
In the same way that Duckett’s parents paved the way for her to excel in leadership, she expressed that she wants to be a part of opening the door for young Black women to know that regardless of their circumstances and where they are on their career journey that they belong in rooms like the Global Black Economic Forum, which works to advance economic and socialjustice for the Black Diaspora.
In addition to topics such as leadership and wealth, the GBEF Business Summit held a session titled, “The Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence and Opportunities for Business & People of Color” with Renee King, founder of FundBlackFounders; Dr. Knatokie Ford, founder and CEO of Fly Sci Enterprise; and Isa Watson, founder and CEO of Squad.
GBEF President and CEO Alphonso David shared with Afrotech that including AI in the summit’s discussions was to help redefine the narrative and approach around the technology to ensure Black and brown people are included in its advantages.
“So when you talk about AI, generally we’re talking about it through a lens offear, and I want to talk about it through the lens ofempowermentbecause not only are we going to be the ones that will redefine that conversation, but we can also redefine it for people that are making the decisions,” David said.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0