PR > PR Techniques

FIXING THE BAIS

MULLENLOWE MENA, Dubai / AURORA50 / 2024

Awards:

Shortlisted Dubai Lynx
CampaignCampaign(opens in a new tab)
Case Film
Supporting Content
Supporting Images

Overview

Credits

Overview

Why is this work relevant for PR?

By addressing a pressing social issue—gender bias in AI—Fixing the bAIs generated significant earned media and public attention.

The campaign’s influence on the EU's AI Act is the ultimate PR outcome, bringing together the AI industry, policymakers, tech leaders, organisations, media and societal-representatives to adopt the campaign’s core principles

Campaign was a catalyst to inspiring 52 nations, gaining acknowledgment and references across a range of international forums. It reached over 4Billion and earned media over $4.5Million across multiple markets without any monetary investment.

Campaign not only generated PR results but is a story of innovation, advocacy, and global impact.

Please note that the Jurors for Dubai Lynx will be coming from outside the region and may not be aware of the specific cultural nuances of your work.

In the Middle East, the fight for women's equality in the workforce is at a critical point. Despite progress over the last half-century, female participation in the workforce is at only 25%, far below the global average of 50%. The gender gap is even more evident in leadership roles with men holding 96% of positions on corporate boards, as shown by the MSCI ACWI Index. The rise of Artificial Intelligence exacerbates this issue, reinforcing real life biases. UNESCO warns that AI is regressing decades of female progress, one prompt at a time.

Aurora50, a DEI impact agency founded in 2020, is addressing this challenge. As a catalyst for change in workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion, Aurora50 guides corporations towards more inclusive futures. They focus not just on real-world diversity but also aim to influence the virtual realm. Aurora50’s mission led to a significant initiative to fix AI biases using AI itself. Our campaign offered a solution to counteract female representation biases in AI, starting on digital platforms and expanding to reach global policymakers.

The campaign's influence was seismic gaining international recognition and influencing policies. It played a pivotal role in influencing 52 nations to adopt the EU’s first AI Act.

As a small Middle Eastern startup, Aurora50 stands as a testament to the power of not only transforming workplaces but also driving significant global societal changes and raising public awareness.

Background

Background/Situation Aurora50, the GCC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion impact agency, leads companies toward fairer workplaces and strives to be recognized not only as real-life diversity champions but also as major influencers in the virtual world, advocating for an equitable future.

Brief: The brief was to develop a creative solution to combat gender bias in AI, aligning with Aurora50's core values of diversity and inclusion. It required a strategic approach to foster gender equality in the digital world. Objectives: The primary objectives were to actively counter gender bias in AI, raise awareness about the issue, and reshape societal perceptions to promote gender equality.

Describe the creative idea

We used AI to fix AI itself.

We turned the tables on AI using its own tools—Midjourney, DALL-E2, and Stable Diffusion. Crafting over 80,000 inclusive and diverse images of women, we injected diversity directly into AI's veins. Our website, fixingthebias.com, became the hub, disseminating these game-changing images to AI training datasets. Beyond pixels, we educated youth through inclusive AI workshops and hosted summits on diversity. We didn't just address a problem but created a lifelong solution. With a global army of supporters, we birthed a perpetual community, a lifelong generator of images on our discord channel, dismantling AI bias, one prompt at a time. This isn't just fixing; it's a revolution in every pixel.

Describe the PR strategy

Our PR strategy was laser-focused, launching on International Women's Day, aligning with women-centric conversations and leveraging the topical interest in AI.

We targeted specific media houses, amplifying discussions on women empowerment. Press releases and concise videos spread across social and digital platforms, especially LinkedIn, engaging our audience.

Our approach wasn't just local; it reached global media and influential figures in the AI industry. This resulted in our participation in the Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI) Plenary meeting, linked to the EU's AI Act, solidifying our influence.

The campaign's core idea, reshaping AI perceptions with inclusive images, gained media attention, creating a positive narrative on gender equality. This strategic PR move strengthened Aurora50's role as a transformative force in the DEI landscape.

Our Target audiences included KAY FIRTH-BUTTERFIELD, the World's First Chief AI Ethics Officer, and JANA NOVOHRADSKA, UNESCO Representative, and other policymakers, and societal representatives who could drive meaningful change.

Describe the PR execution

The PR execution for Fixing the bAIs was meticulously planned and executed with a targeted media engagement strategy.

The timeline was condensed into an intense 48-hour period on International Women's Day, leveraging the global conversations around the topic.

The scale of the campaign was international, covering 10+ core markets alongside the UAE.

The implementation included developing a launch media communication announcement, complete with key proofpoints, fast facts, and background information. This content was then translated into several languages for wider dissemination.

Additionally, the campaign featured direct engagement with key spokespeople, tailored content, and imagery for various target media outlets.

Post-launch, a sustained effort was made through thought-leadership content and stakeholder information, directly reaching key individuals and organisations identified as opinion formers.

This comprehensive strategy ensured the campaign's visibility, relevance, and impact across diverse channels and markets.

List the results

Fixing the bAIs garnered remarkable results across various dimensions. Since the tool was created, 52 countries were inspired to implement a rule of law in AI policies. Presented at the United Nations, Fixing the bAIs has been called a “concrete solution” to “eradicate gender bias”.

“Fixing the bAIs is a concrete solution to eradicate gender bias in artificial intelligence,” said Jana Novohradska, UNESCO representative for Slovak and gender equality rapporteur for the Council of Europe’s AI committee.

In terms of media outputs, the campaign achieved extensive and high-quality coverage across reputable platforms, including Yahoo Finance, Al Arabiya, Khaleej Times, and Campaign Middle East resulting in an amazing 4Billion impressions.

Crucially we targeted the creative community with a series of narratives designed to spark conversation amongst agencies and in-house marketeers on how the industry can help lead the change needed.

Our website, fixingthebias.com, generated 6000% increase in site traffic from 10+ countries, with Double the global benchmark of average website engagement time.

Beyond pixels, we educated youth through inclusive AI workshops and hosted summits on diversity. We didn't just address a problem but created a lifelong solution. With a global army of supporters, we birthed a perpetual community, a lifelong generator of images on our discord channel, dismantling AI bias, one prompt at a time

The coverage depth was substantial, delivering a positive tone and effectively communicating the campaign's message. The brand secured a staggering $4.5 million in earned media without any monetary investment, highlighting the campaign's efficiency and impact.

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