Maybe it was the espresso. Or the fact that I’ve been marinating in AI panels lately. But I asked a question earlier this week that made the room go… still.

 

At a data center conference panel on AI Impact on Community and Culture—featuring entirely (really smart, incredibly talented) white dudes—I said something like:

 

‘Thanks to the panelists—you’ve shared some valuable insights. But looking around, I can’t help but hope that future panels reflect the diversity of the communities we’re building for. Which leads to my question: As we develop infrastructure for AI that has impact on society, how do we avoid amplifying existing biases—and ensure all voices are heard?’

 

The answer? A quick pivot to how 30-35% of their speakers this year are women. And then we moved on.

 

And for a moment, I questioned myself. Was that too bold? Did I make people who donated their time and energy unnecessarily uncomfortable?

 

But then I remembered the incredible summit I attended earlier this year—hosted by the The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) and Microsoft —where the conversation centered not just on AI, but on humanity, justice, and how technology can reflect or reshape the world we live in. That experience fundamentally changed how I see AI—not as a tool in isolation, but as a mirror of the people who design it.

 

So no, I’m not sorry for asking the question. Just disappointed that it didn’t really get answered. AI isn’t neutral. Neither is who gets the mic.

 

I will happily report that the uncomfortable moment led to a few brief but meaningful conversations with Nabeel Mahmood, Amy Marks, and Mark Gusakov. So the weird moment resulted in a myriad of wins with the main takeaway that uncomfortable questions are necessary.

 

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