In this episode, Ruth Bucknell, VP Experience Design at Merkle, joins us to share her journey of building a career in the tech industry and navigating the challenges of male-dominated spaces. She reflects on the importance of intentional inclusion, her motivation for founding the Women in Tech network, and how community can be a powerful driver for change.

We dive into the ways tech products and AI systems are often shaped by male defaults—reinforcing bias through skewed datasets—and why correcting this matters for everyone. Ruth also highlights a positive path forward, spotlighting initiatives like Dove’s Ethical AI & Zero-Party Data Strategy, which is setting new standards for authenticity and representation in digital spaces. From banning AI-generated women in ads to launching the Real Beauty Prompt Playbook and the Code Campaign with Pinterest, she shows how rethinking AI can empower women and reshape the industry for the better.

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