(The following transcript has been revised and polished for clarity and conciseness without losing the essence of the conversation in this episode.)
VO: Welcome to Women Wisdom Worth, the podcast series from Uplevyl, where we learn from women around the world about what they’re doing to find success and joy in this digital age. For show notes and free bonus resources, visit Uplevyl.com/podcast. We’d love it if you subscribe, like, leave a nice review, and share the show with your friends and colleagues. And remember to check out Uplevyl. Uplevyl is the global leader of women-trained generative AI transforming society and business featuring women-centric data inputs, insight, and advice. You’ll find all the answers you need as you navigate the complexities of modern life. Check it out on Uplevyl.com. Let’s get started with your host, Sara Bhonsale. Over to you, Sara.
Sara Bhonsale: I am so excited to introduce our guest today, Carolyn Shepherd. She has a lengthy resume with many wonderful contributions to our world. She is the founder of Emmeline.AI, a platform revolutionizing the way we think about AI and its role in HR. Her superpower is making AI accessible and practical for HR professionals. She excels at translating complex AI concepts into clear, actionable strategies that drive meaningful HR transformation. As a teacher, that speaks to me.
She is a CIPD associate in AI for Everyone, certified in deep learning by Andrew Ng, and an agile HR certified practitioner. Carolyn brings a wealth of expertise to her work. She is also an OKR coach and a barrister. Her skill set includes technical knowledge, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, communication, and ethical awareness. This positions her perfectly to help teams confidently embrace AI, even if they’re starting from scratch.
Carolyn’s courses and workshops are engaging, designed to equip people with the skills and tools needed to implement AI solutions that foster innovation and boost efficiency. Her work drives strategic growth and has an immediate impact on the teams she trains. We’re thrilled to have you here to discuss the gender gap and AI, and explore how we can all work toward creating a more inclusive and innovative future. Welcome to the show.
Carolyn Shepherd: Thank you so much, Sara. I’m thrilled. What an amazing introduction. I feel like I’m on cloud nine and I’m so happy to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
Sara Bhonsale: I’m thrilled to speak with you today. Let’s jump right in. I want to talk about Emmeline AI, which you founded with a clear mission to make AI more accessible and practical for professionals. What inspired you to start this journey and how did it all begin?
Carolyn Shepherd: I’ve always enjoyed technical things and exploring new inventions, but I’m not a scientist. I didn’t have a data science background. I discovered this amazing generative AI in a real commercial environment and realized, this is going to change the world. I needed to get on top of it. I became obsessed and started writing a book about it very quickly. I seemed to get the hang of prompting, not prompt engineering like a scientist, but how everyday people would use it. Once I understood it, I thought this is amazing, and I want other people to enjoy it. Some colleagues embraced it immediately and said it changed their work lives. Others were hesitant. For those who committed, it made a real difference, and I wanted to write stories to inspire others to see what was possible.
Sara Bhonsale: I appreciate that you encountered AI the way many of us have. Some experts have built it for years, but others like us are discovering how to use it to make life better. I also love that your lens is for everyday women and everyday professionals. When we share stories, that is where connection happens.
Carolyn Shepherd: Absolutely. I’ve led many change transformation roles, and we know from the human change curve that we naturally resist change. How do we get people to just reach out and try it and then continue using it? I found that women were not as keen as men to experiment with it, and I wondered why. That made me more determined to dig deeper.
Sara Bhonsale: What did you find?
Carolyn Shepherd: Men are often more willing to “fake it till they make it.” Women tend not to be. I admire that willingness to try. Looking at the World Economic Forum research, we were 100 years away from gender equity. After generative AI, that projection became 130 years. We’re going backwards. Something needed to be done. We cannot wait on generational change. If we become strong users and buyers of AI products and services, we influence how AI is built. That can move gender equity forward dramatically. This is a historic opportunity.
Sara Bhonsale: I’d like to talk about Emmeline AI and how you focus on the ethics of AI. What should professionals be aware of?
Carolyn Shepherd: HR is particularly concerned with ethics, privacy, and security. We’ve watched disruption at OpenAI, for example. If companies push forward without investing in safety, they risk disaster. When I talk to clients, I say let’s not start with risks. First understand how it works. Build confidence. Then talk about risk. If we don’t know what an LLM is or what natural language processing means, how can we evaluate risks?
The biggest risk is not knowing what is happening with your data. There are concerns about how LLMs were trained. These models need massive amounts of data. Soon, at least 50% of the data they consume will be generated by AI itself. If the base is biased, it becomes a cycle. For example, AI image generators still create highly stereotypical depictions of women. If women say no, stop, let’s balance this, we could reshape society.
Sara Bhonsale: In your workshops, is the message one of confidence?
Carolyn Shepherd: The first question I ask is: where are you on your AI journey? Then I meet them there. Most people don’t understand how it works, and that’s where confidence begins. Once you learn how it really functions, you no longer feel intimidated. Generative AI is the worst it will ever be right now. It is improving rapidly. We need to engage now. If not, we may be left behind.
Sara Bhonsale: We need people like you making this digestible. Human learning and machine learning are the same cycle. We absolutely should be part of building this. Where do you see women in AI in five to ten years?
Carolyn Shepherd: If women take on the challenge, the gender gap will be closed. If we can add 30 years of inequity in months, why can’t we remove 130 years in five? This is a once-in-history moment.
Sara Bhonsale: Beautiful. For those who want to learn more, how can they connect with you?
Carolyn Shepherd: I’m on Linktree at Carolyn J. Shepherd, with two Hs, and on LinkedIn. Reach out directly. It’s personal, and I love connecting one-to-one.
VO: Thanks for joining us today on Women Wisdom Worth, the podcast from Uplevyl. For show notes and bonus resources, visit Uplevyl.com/podcast. Please subscribe, like, or leave a review and share the show with friends and colleagues looking for fresh ideas on supporting women. And remember to check out Uplevyl, the global leader of women-trained generative AI featuring women-centric data, insight and advice to navigate modern life. See you soon.