When AI Can’t Tell a Pattern from a Prejudice: How Unchecked AI Turns Old Bias into New Harm

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Cheryl Cooper as our featured guest speaker!

AI is already shaping decisions that affect people’s careers, finances, healthcare, and access to opportunity. But as these systems become more autonomous, the risks are no longer only about who is included in the conversation — they are about how AI learns, acts, and makes decisions at scale. In this session, Dr. Cheryl Cooper will explore why AI cannot tell the difference between a pattern and a prejudice, how unchecked systems can turn historical bias into new harm, and why leaders must step in to ensure human judgment, accountability, and inclusive governance remain at the center of AI.

In short: As AI becomes more autonomous, leaders must move beyond representation alone and treat inclusive, accountable AI governance as a critical leadership responsibility.

Participants will learn how to:

• Understand why AI can repeat and amplify historical bias, even when no harm is intended.

• Recognize how autonomous systems can make or influence decisions without sufficient human oversight.

• Identify why women’s voices in AI design, leadership, and governance are essential to reducing risk.

• Define clearer boundaries of authority, purpose, and accountability for AI systems.

• Lead more responsibly by aligning AI innovation with human values, ethical outcomes, and long-term trust.

The event will kick off with a 30-minute keynote by Dr. Cheryl Cooper, followed by a live Q&A before one-on-ones begin.