Inspiring the next generation of women engineers

Editor’s note: Google and Girlguiding are building on their partnership with the launch of new co-created AI activities and badges, designed to help girls understand how AI-powered tools work and encourage more girls and young women across the country to explore STEM subjects. Nicole McWilliams, Engineering Director, Android Large Screens at Google shares why it’s important for more girls and young women to learn about technology and AI.

When I was a little girl, my father and I would spend our weekends in his garage taking apart and rebuilding household appliances, like our toasters and alarm clocks. I found the process fascinating. It sparked my interest in understanding why these appliances worked this way, and brainstorming tweaks that might improve them. I’d always loved working with gadgets, so when selecting my university course I thought it made perfect sense to study engineering…until I was told that it might not.

The university admissions team nudged me to consider alternative options, concerned that I might be out of place in such a male dominated field. Now that I lead Android’s large screen engineering teams for Google here in the UK, working to incorporate AI-driven features into our products, it's hard to imagine that at 17 years old, my ability to excel in a field that I love was called into question, purely because of my gender.

Stereotypes still persist

We set up Google’s partnership with Girlguiding in 2018 to shatter these longstanding stereotypes and counter the influence of society’s longstanding biases. While so much has changed since my experience in the 90s, sadly, the discouragement I faced isn't unique. Girlguiding's Girls Attitude Survey highlights the fact that many outdated ideas still persist:

• More than half (52%) of girls between the ages of 11 - 18 still feel like STEM subjects are for boys.
• 42% of girls feel that there aren’t enough women role models in STEM.
• 41% of girls are teased for their interest in STEM subjects.

We can’t afford for these antiquated assumptions to hold girls back from having the opportunity to shape the AI-powered technologies of the future. AI has the potential to improve how we live, work and interact with the world. From the phones in our pockets to the cars we drive, AI is already everywhere. Technology can be made by anyone, and is for everyone. That's why we’ve partnered with Girlguiding to empower more girls with the skills needed to create this technology in future.

Encouraging more young women to help shape the future of AI

These new activities will showcase how AI can solve real-world problems and encourage the girls to eventually become the innovators and leaders of a technology which is being used to improve health outcomes and tackle climate change. Girls aged 4 - 18 across each of Girlguiding’s sections will learn about generative AI and concepts like machine learning. The activities will enable leaders to demonstrate how AI can boost creativity and gradually build the girls’ confidence in technology.

• AI Story Writers: Rainbows aged 4 - 7 will work with group leaders to create interactive ‘choose your own adventure’ stories with the help of AI.
• AI Game Writers: Brownies aged 7 - 10 will work with group leaders to create and play new real-world games with the help of AI.
• Teach the AI Machine: Guides aged 10 - 14 will explore how machine learning works through a fun real-world game.
• Accelerate with AI: Rangers aged 14 - 18 will work with group leaders to plan a personalised party or event with the help of AI.

We’re excited for over 300,000 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers across the country to gain valuable insights that will help them in future, whether they decide to build these AI-powered technologies or even just use these tools to achieve their ambitions.

Lasting impact

Both the teams at Google and Girlguiding have worked hard to create the sorts of fun and engaging activities that I would have loved to take part in when I was a Brownie. Our hope is that these activities spark an interest in technology for girls across the country, inviting them to challenge and exceed society’s expectations, while inspiring the next generation of female engineers.

Check out Girlguiding’s website to learn more about the new AI badge and our other co-created digital discovery activities.