33 CEOs of large companies analyse the risks and opportunities raised by AI for the development of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies

Within the framework of the #CEOPorLaDiversidad (in English, #CEOforDiversity) Alliance, some of the conclusions of the Technology and Disability 2023 Report were presented for the first time during the event. This report was released by the Adecco Foundation and Keysight and reveals the keys to inclusive technological development, as well as the risks and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence for the employment of people with disabilities.

The #CEOPorLaDiversidad Alliance celebrated an event on “Digital tools for diversity”, which brought together 33 CEOs who are members of this pioneering initiative in Europe.  Other attendants included representatives of the Adecco Foundation and the CEOE Foundation, founding partners of the Alliance, which already has 91 collaborating companies.

This event was held close to July 15, the International Day for Appropriate Technology, i.e.,technology that is developed in accordance with available resources, while incorporating the principle of sustainability and ensuring that they serve to improve the standard of living of all people, without exceptions or limitations.

The 33 participating CEOs represent the following companies:  Accenture, Acerinox, Airbus, Air Liquide, Allianz Partners, Atlantic Copper, Atos, Bahía de Bizkaia Gas, Baker &Mckenzie, Balearia, BASF España, Campofrío, Capgemini, Carglass, CBRE, Elecnor, The Adecco Group, Justesa Imagen SAU, Grupo Tragsa, Holcim España, HP, Iberdrola España, INECO, MccannWorldgroup, Mave Trigo Group, Navantia, Omnicom Media Group, Redeia, Sonepar, Uría Menéndez, Verallia, Wolters Kluwer and Worldline Iberia. 

The conference was opened by Enrique Sánchez, President of the Adecco Foundation, and Fátima Báñez, President of the CEOE Foundation. Sánchez stated that: “This issue urgently needs to be analysed and addressed, as new technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are major drivers of social and employment transformationand raise unavoidable ethical and responsibility questions. Amid this technological revolution, it is essential that companies are aware of the opportunities and risks, that we understand the regulatory frameworks and regulations and that we collaborate to address common challenges, working together towards a responsible and inclusive approach to AI”.

In turn, Fátima Báñez said: “We must make diversity the differentiating factor of what the management of people is going to entail not just today, butalso, and more importantly, tomorrow, in a world with major transformations that have accelerated significantly in recent times. […] We are convinced that multicultural, diverse, experienced, and young teams are better prepared for decision-making, and ensuring that diversity takes its rightful place means that the different talents in the company contribute equally, leading to greater competitiveness and productivity in the business fabric”.

People with disabilities and Artificial Intelligence

Irene Gil, head of the Vulnerability Observatory of the Adecco Foundation, unveiled some of the conclusions of the Technology and Disability Report, which will be published on 10 July and which the Adecco Foundation has prepared, for the twelfth consecutive year, in collaboration with the company Keysight.

“The experience of people with disabilities in their interaction with Artificial Intelligence is a perfect thermometer to measure to what extent emerging technologies are inclusive. That is why, in this report, we wanted to understand their perception with the aim of detecting risks and opportunities associated with AI and inclusion at work. And while intelligent systems have immense potential to overcome historical barriers that people with disabilities have encountered at a physical, sensorial, or cognitive level, they also pose risks that need to be understood and addressed”, she explained.

Among the opportunities associated with AI, it is worth mentioning the emergence of technological adaptations that enable people with disabilities to perform better, or the existence of learning programmes adapted to their needs. As for the risks, the existence of possible unconscious biases in AI has been discussed, which show the need to commit to its ethical development, integrating diversity in development teams and introducing positive examples of disability in the training of intelligent systems.

HP urges companies to commit to digital equality

Inés Bermejo, CEO of HP, made some introductory remarks and then handed the floor to Xavi Pano, Iberia HR Generalist & SEMA HR Business Partner of the company. As a benchmark technology company that is leading pioneering projects in this field, Pano explained their main lines of work and best practices in the field of inclusive technology, with his experience serving as an inspiration for the rest of the companies in the Alliance. The expert highlighted the need to base all technological development on the concepts of equity and digital inclusion, i.e., on the fair, equitable and egalitarian use of technologies, whether in terms ofthe use and handling of digital devices, or their level of accessibility or the training and knowledge required to be able to interact with technology effectively.

DE&I self-diagnosis tool or how to digitally measure the maturity of these strategies

The #CEOPorLaDiversidad Alliance has its very own example of a 100% digital resource, namely the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) self-diagnostic tool, a tool that allows companies to measure the maturity of these strategies in a few clicks.

Pablo García, Director of Communication and Marketing of the Adecco Foundation, explained this tool in detail, a tool that is hosted on an online platform and is very simple and intuitive to use. Companies must answer 79 key questions, divided into five strategic blocks, which allow them to find out their degree of maturity, strengths, and areas for improvement.

Depending on the answers, each company will get an idea of the phase that best describes its current position: lack of knowledge, initiation, cultural change, management, integration, or whether it is an inclusive company in the optimisation phase. The following link should be followed todo the self-diagnosis: http://deiindex.ceoporladiversidad.com/ 

According to Pablo García: “This self-diagnosis, created in the framework of the #CEOPorLaDiversidad Alliance, is a first draft for companies to know their degree of maturity in DE&I policies so that they can make more conscious decisions. To take this analysis to a higher level and create a strategic plan of high value and impact, we offer the DE&I INDEX tool, which consolidates the knowledge and expertise accumulated by the Adecco Foundation over more than two decades”.

Virtual reality to step into the shoes of a person with a disability

To round off the day, the 33 CEOs took part in the ‘Realidadesdiferentes.org’ (“Different realities”) awareness project developed by the Adecco Foundation to put themselves in the shoes of a person with a disability and experience the barriers and discrimination these people face when they try to or join the labour market.

Using virtual reality headsets, the senior managers viewed, in 360 degrees, different scenarios that people with different types of disabilities (physical, sensorial, intellectual and/or mental) may face, either as job seekers or as professionals who are working.

“This is an awareness-raising experience through which we want to give visibility and shed light on the reality of millions of people with disabilities around the world. CEOs are a strategic target, and their empathy and sensitivity are key; after all, their leadership position allows them to promote positive changes in the company and in society, contributing to the full inclusion of people with disabilities”, said Francisco Mesonero, CEO of the Adecco Foundation.