During Women’s History Month, we’re shining a spotlight on some of the incredible women leading change in the tech space through Lenovo’s charitable community partnerships. These leaders are not only advocating for a more inclusive future in artificial intelligence (AI), but also helping women and girls gain access to the digital skills they need to thrive.
We sat down with three of Lenovo’s global partners to hear their insights on building gender-fair AI and advancing women’s participation in technology:
- Janine Teo, CEO of Solve Education! (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia)
- Laura Benbenaste, Director of Ashoka’s Social Entrepreneurs Network for the Southern Cone and Global Lead of the Tech & Humanity initiative (Argentina)
- Petra Kotuliaková, Founder and CEO of Aj Ty v IT (Slovakia)
At the Lenovo Foundation, we believe that inclusive innovation starts with intentional partnerships. We are proud to collaborate with these three visionaries on responsibly and thoughtfully democratizing access to AI, as part of Lenovo’s broader commitment to Smarter AI for All – ensuring that the future of technology is shaped by diverse voices and community-driven solutions.
Can you share a specific initiative you have led or have been involved in to promote gender fairness in AI development?
Janine: “At Solve Education!, we integrate AI into our gamified learning platforms to bridge the gender gap in education and workforce readiness. We design AI-driven learning tools that strengthen girls’ literacy proficiency, a critical gateway to learning and career opportunities. We also provide fun, contextualized STEM education to prepare young women for careers in tech and innovation. And we equip learners with employability skills, including digital literacy, problem-solving, and communication, to ensure they are ready for the workforce of the future. By leveraging AI and gamification, we personalize learning experiences, making education more engaging and accessible, particularly for marginalized girls.”
Laura: “I am the director of Ashoka’s AI community, an initiative that finds, brings together and accompanies social entrepreneurs who use AI for social impact projects.
The goal is to bring the perspectives of this ecosystem to decision making spaces, companies and governments so that technology is designed to seek the common good and solve related problems. Within Ashoka’s AI Community, we support initiatives that work with artificial intelligence with a social and gender perspective. One example is DataGénero and its project AymurAI, a software designed to anonymize judicial documents and reduce gender bias in sensitive data from court rulings. This tool makes it possible to extract statistics on gender violence, promoting greater transparency in Latin American judiciaries.”
Petra:“ Aj Ty v IT focuses on increasing the presence of women in the IT sector by providing education, networking, and support. We promote gender fairness through programs that encourage girls and women to pursue careers in technology, which aligns with initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive and diverse environments in the field. In AI development we focus, for example, on fostering diverse teams, which are at the beginning of every product story.”
We know that training data determines the efficacy and expertise of AI systems, but people can forget that data sets can contain real bias: Who was included, how is the data structured, what was the data source, etc. How have you ensured that AI systems in your projects are designed and tested to avoid gender biases?
Janine: “We actively audit and refine our AI-driven tools to ensure fairness in learning experiences. Our approach includes designing neutral and inclusive AI models that provide equitable access to learning and career guidance, especially in STEM fields. We also continuously monitor and improve fairness in our AI-driven learning interventions.”
Laura: “We work with social entrepreneurs to integrate best practices in AI development, including the use of diverse and representative datasets to avoid bias in the information processed. We also collaborate with gender equity experts to assess the impact of AI on different social groups, and provide training and sensitization to the teams developing these technologies, ensuring that they understand and mitigate gender bias in their projects. In the case of AymurAI, its design makes it possible to eliminate sensitive information that could perpetuate inequalities and help build a more equitable judicial system.”
Petra: “Our projects are in majority in the educational area. For building new streams, we assemble diverse teams of trainers and professionals and use representative datasets to avoid gender biases.”
Can you provide an example of how you have successfully increased women’s access to technology and digital skills training?
Janine: “Solve Education! is committed to expanding access to STEM education and employability skills for girls from low-income communities through strengthening girls’ literacy foundation, essential for digital literacy and career advancement. We provide gamified STEM education, breaking stereotypes and preparing girls for high-demand tech jobs. We embed workforce readiness skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, in our AI-powered learning programs. Our mobile-first learning platform ensures that young women—especially those with limited access to formal education—can develop the skills needed for the digital economy, no matter where they are.”
Laura: “50% of the community initiatives are led by women, a fact no less given that female participation is always a challenge in technology environments. The social sector has a great potential in reducing this gap since there is a large female presence and if they can use technology as a tool for their causes, it is a great revolutionary opportunity, no doubt.”
Petra: “Aj Ty v IT has trained 60,000 girls and women in digital and technology skills to date. We break down barriers to education, which are often financial and social. Our regional reach extends to the smallest villages where access to technical education for girls is very limited.”
What challenges have you faced in advancing gender fairness in AI, and how have you addressed them?
Janine: “One major challenge is deeply ingrained societal and cultural barriers that limit girls’ access to education and workforce participation. In many of the communities we work with, girls are expected to marry young and take on household responsibilities, limiting their career prospects. To tackle this, we leverage AI and gamification to create engaging, self-paced learning experiences that keep girls motivated. We incorporate workforce skills training, ensuring that girls graduate from our programs job-ready and confident in pursuing careers in technology, business, and other fields. We also collaborate with employers, helping bridge the gap between learning and employment, and ensuring that companies have access to a diverse and skilled workforce.”
Laura: “Some challenges include lack of female representation in AI development. To counter this, we promote the visibility of women leaders in technology. There is also a gap in access to data and resources in Spanish. We have worked with entrepreneurs to develop inclusive and accessible tools. Resistance to change in some sectors has also been a barrier.
To address this, we have established partnerships with technology companies and networking spaces, allowing initiatives to connect with key players in the sector.”
Petra: “In Slovakia, we struggle with the lack of representation of women in IT and limited awareness of STEM studies and projects. We fight these issues through continuous education and advocacy across the country.”
How has your partnership with Lenovo advanced your goals of raising awareness about the importance of gender fairness in AI and technology?
Janine: “Lenovo’s support has helped us scale our impact, ensuring that more girls can access digital education, STEM learning, and career-building opportunities. Through this collaboration, we advocate for gender fairness in AI, ensuring that AI-driven education tools create equitable learning pathways for young women. We provide underserved communities with accessible technology, enabling young women to develop the digital and employability skills needed for the workforce of the future. We also conduct career workshops to expose girls to opportunities in STEM, helping them explore careers in technology and innovation and equipping them with the confidence to pursue these paths. Together, we are transforming education, promoting gender equity, and preparing the next generation for the future of work.”
Laura: “This partnership exemplifies in a very concrete way how corporate commitment can make support initiatives focused on the common good. Companies such as Lenovo, who are thinking and designing new intersections between industries and social entrepreneurs, make us hopeful for the future.”
Petra: “Lenovo provides us with resources and funding for women’s education and training programmes. For high school students, we have jointly developed the ‘Discover IT faCOOLties’ programme, which enables them to visit IT faculties. Female university students have the opportunity to be mentored by Lenovo professionals. For graduates of our academies, Lenovo has job offers that allow them to directly start their new careers in technology fields. We also strengthen our outreach efforts through joint marketing and communications strategies.”
About Solve Education!
Solve Education! is a philanthropic organization committed to enabling people to empower themselves through education. Our focus is to help children and youth around the globe receive effective and fun education. Whether these children and youth don’t attend schools or the traditional education they receive is ineffective, we are here to help.
Our team is made up of experienced educationists, technologists, and business executives. What do we have in common? Our driving passion to close the global education gap, one child at a time.
About Ashoka
Ashoka is the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs and a global leader in social innovation. We champion social entrepreneurs who are shifting systems and creating new frameworks for society.
About Aj Ty v IT
Aj Ty v IT, a nonprofit organization founded in 2012, aims to motivate and support girls and women in the field of information technology. Our mission, expressed through the motto “Technology has no gender,” is to ensure that women do not remain on the sidelines, but instead become an integral part of the technological future.
Through its activities, Aj Ty v IT breaks down social stereotypes about women in IT, builds a supportive community, and educates girls from grade school to high school, We offer specialized career programs for adult women, and collaborate with IT faculties at universities. Over twelve years of operation, almost 55,300 girls, women, and teachers from across Slovakia have participated in our workshops, courses, and academies.
About Lenovo Foundation
Lenovo Foundation is a U.S. 501c3 charitable and non-profit arm of Lenovo. Together with Lenovo corporate philanthropy and initiatives across Lenovo’s global business, Lenovo Foundation has a mission to provide access to technology and STEM education for those who need it most. Lenovo Foundation accomplishes its mission through strategic giving, employee engagement and disaster response. Learn more at www.LenovoFoundation.com and Lenovo’s annual ESG Report.
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