The GenAI Revolution, Ep 2: Howard Changemakers Leading the Way

In this 2nd episode of our AI series, Dr. Kweli Zukeri dives deep into the transformative work happening within the Howard community to make the AI revolution inclusive, accessible, and impactful for Black communities and beyond.

Join us as we highlight groundbreaking projects going on right here, like the creation of an audio database of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to revolutionize voice assistive technologies, the diversification of healthcare data to address disparities and the training of the next generation of Black data scientists. Plus, we’ll discuss an innovative speech therapy app designed with inclusivity in mind.

This episode unpacks Howard’s commitment to tackling AI bias and building inclusive ecosystems—efforts that reflect the proud HBCU legacy of using cutting-edge knowledge to uplift Black communities and drive progress for society at large.

From HU2U is a production of Howard University and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

On changing the narrative around AAVE

19:06: [Kweli Zukeri]: Speech is self-expression. So, being able to speak in one's own dialect of vernacular matters deeply. Reflective of the Black American experience itself, its structure has roots in the languages of West Africa and to survive despite American society's pressures to subdue it. Hence, the so-called code-switching phenomenon most Black professionals feel they must abide by to this day. Racist pressure to brush it aside or keep it in the margins can impact their own feelings and relationship to it, perhaps, subconsciously swaying us to consider it lesser than, which is a form of internalized racism. That's why I'm so excited by the Elevate Black Voices project.

One's self-expression influences how effectively people get work done

23:48: [David Green]: Your ability to have your natural speech accepted and responded to allows a certain freedom in what you're able to think about and what you're able to articulate. You're not searching for certain words, you're not searching for certain ideas, and you're not trying to put on a performance of a certain kind of voice that you would think would get a better response.

On creating a safe space for Black English

05:04: [Washington]: We want to create a safe space in celebration of Black English, celebrating all the different dialects, the Southern, the different kinds of ways that Black people speak, so that you don't have to code-switch or pretend to be someone else.

Guest Profiles and Show Links:

• Kweli Zukeri | Howard Profiles
• Kweli Zukeri | LinkedIn
• kweli.zukeri@howard.edu
• Announcing Howard University's Groundbreaking AI Initiative
• GENERATIVE AI | Howard University Provost's Office
• About | Howard University President
• Manning Marable 
• The Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics
• Amy Yeboah Quarkume, Ph.D. | LinkedIn
• Amy Quarkume | Howard Profiles
• CORES Future Lab
• Cognitive and Neurodiversity AI (CoNA) Lab at Morgan State University
• Ga