Inspiring women in AI: Suemayah Eldursi

What AI-related projects are you currently working on?

I'm working on converting EPUB 2 files to EPUB 3 format and using large language models (LLMs) to make decisions about structure and semantic tags within the EPUB document.

It's fascinating how much LLMs can be used to automate some of those tasks that traditionally would have required human reasoning.

My recent MSc thesis fine-tuned a stable diffusion model and explored generating images that conformed to a specific layout.

It was fascinating understanding the maths behind the model (because AI is all maths) and seeing the phases of images being generated from a single prompt.

What inspired you to pursue a career in AI and related fields?

I've always been fascinated with AI. However, my background was in Software Engineering.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw an opportunity to pivot in my field slightly and decided to pursue a part-time MSc in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bath.

From there, I looked for roles in companies and teams that had a vested interest in using AI technologies – and that's what brought me here to the research and development team at Taylor and Francis!

What recent or potential breakthroughs in AI are you most excited about?

I'm very interested in how AI is being used in robotics – I like the idea of using robots for mundane tasks to free up our time for more interesting things.

I have three robots at home for mowing the lawn, mopping, and vacuuming! They do well, but they make silly mistakes sometimes, like getting stuck and having to be rescued from certain situations.

I'm excited to see them improve by use of LLM for better interactions.

What potential risks or downsides of AI development concern you?

I'm worried that AI will take the place of humans in situations where human touch and interaction are very important.

For example, in the healthcare field and in the education field. I always prefer to speak to a human in those situations.

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the AI field, and how have you overcome them?

In general, women in tech are a minority. This can be a bit difficult at the start of your career, especially.

Having grit and determination and just the ability to see things through until the end has helped.

Also, mentoring and being mentored by professionals in the field is invaluable.

What initiatives or changes would you like to see to encourage more women to enter the field of AI?

• Women in tech mentorship
• Providing role models to young girls and women
• Increasing awareness of tech for girls at school and university

What advice would you give to young women considering a career in AI?

This is a great time to join the field of AI.

There are so many resources out there and a lot of potential.

Don't give up, and get a mentor to advise you so you can find the best path forward.

What advice would you give to other women for getting started with using AI in their research, work, or life?

Sign up to ChatGPT and incorporate it into your workflow.

Whether for brainstorming ideas, summarizing, or mundane tasks such as converting the format of something, using an LLM such as ChatGPT will give you an edge in the workplace.

Just be careful about things like security and confidential work information that should not be shared.