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Meta is facing backlash after announcing an advisory council for its AI intelligence strategy made up entirely of white men in their 30s and 40s.
The four-person panel is an “outside” group of advisors who will provide consultation on “strategic opportunities” relating to Meta’s “technology and product roadmap.”
If you’re thinking the situation seems familiar, you’d be right. In November last year, OpenAI announced a revamp to their board that left it entirely made up of men, only filling open spots with three women in March 2024 after months of criticism.
But Meta, apparently happy not to heed that warning, has opted for a group comprised of Patrick Collision, Co-Founder and CEO of Stripe; Nat Friedman, investor and ex-CEO of GitHub; Tobi Lütke, Founder and CEO of Shopify; and Charlie Songhurst, a former exec at Microsoft.
The council certainly has vast experience in technology and product development, working for leading software companies and is able to contribute valuable guidance and support to Meta on its $35billion investment in AI for 2024 and beyond.
But Meta’s decision to opt for a wholly non-diverse panel is undoubtedly a bad one for Meta, its AI teams, and wider society itself.
A lack of diversity in tech has historically costed society
Let’s start with the societal impact before we consider why it is also a poor strategic move from Meta.
A lack of diverse representation in technology has historically plagued the industry. Without oversight from diverse teams and with heavily tech teams dominated by white males, many software, systems, and products have been built with inbuilt bias at the expense of those who are not represented, including women and ethnic minorities.
This issue is rearing its head once again with AI tools, and despite repeated warnings, little progress is being made. In 2019, a study from New York University's AI Now Institute found that the prevalence of white males in coding roles across the tech industry was creating a “diversity crisis,” with bias seeping into AI products including chatbots and facial recognition programs.
As Meta’s advisory council announcement reflects, progress in the past few years has been slow. When UNESCO experts ran tests on Meta’s Llama 2 algorithm and OpenAI’s GPT-2 and GPT-3.5 tools in March, they found "unequivocal evidence of prejudice against women.”
By selecting an advisory council made up entirely of white males, Meta (wrongly) believes it can fix these issues without input from women or people of color who have been dealing with technology bias their entire lives. A steady stream of AI controversy ranging from women suffering from non-consensual pornography to accusations that Meta's own photo tool is racist, further indicates this is a huge error.
Consider also that no-one on this advisory council is being paid, according to Meta. Without financial restrictions in place, would it have been so difficult to expand the council to include more diverse voices capable of providing guidance on these issues based on lived experience?
Meta’s solely white-male AI council is a bad business decision
In a fierce AI battle in which experts have accused big tech companies of prioritizing speed over safety, it’s clear that many employers recognize being a market leader could be hugely profitable.
So, having covered the potential safety problems such as bias that a lack of diverse thought could bring to Meta’s door, let’s turn our attention to why this is a bad business decision for Meta in the race for AI success.
Cognitively diverse teams solve problems faster. Ethnically diverse companies a more likely to outperform their competitors. Gender-diverse boardrooms reduce the risk of over-investment, reporting mistakes, and controversial business practices.
Or if you prefer, take your pick from a vast body of evidence that shows why diversity of thought consistently results in better business outcomes. Surely there are plenty of DEI, HR, and leadership experts at Meta who know this and could have pointed out that a council with more diversity of thought would have been more strategically valuable.
Moreover, as Elon Musk writes, “The talent war for AI is the craziest talent war I’ve ever seen!” Meta has been among the companies to resort to unusual recruitment tactics.
Skilled AI workers have the big tech firms knocking at their doors offering bumper pay packets. For women and people of color, Meta’s move to elect a non-diverse AI advisory panel may well prove to be the reddest of red flags and deter them from joining Zuckerberg and co.
Meta is already feeling the heat over the lack of diversity in its advisory group. But only time will tell if, like OpenAI before it, they take the feedback on board and do what is right for their employees, their business, and their society.
