Empowering Women in AI: A digital transformation story

Imagine coordinating thousands of volunteers across 150 countries with only email communications and a printer. 

This was the reality for Women in AI (WAI) until discovering Lumin. 

Today, tasks that once took half an hour now take just two minutes – but this isn’t about saving time. It’s about empowering a movement that’s changing the face of artificial intelligence.

A global movement born from experience

Women in AI started with an all-too-familiar scene in tech: being the only woman in the room. 

In 2016, three women attending AI conferences in Paris noticed a pattern – they were often the only female faces in a sea of male colleagues. Instead of accepting this as the norm, they decided to act. 

What began as a small community has now blossomed into a vibrant global network of over 13,000 members and 200 passionate volunteers.

“We’re a non-profit, think tank type community focused on closing the gender gap,” says Lisel Engelbrecht, Chief Data Officer for Women in AI. “In AI specifically, there’s a 24% gender gap, and we’ve got multiple initiatives on how we want to close that gap.”

The beauty of WAI’s approach lies in its adaptability. In corporate environments, they build bridges and break glass ceilings, connecting and supporting women already navigating the AI landscape. 

And their vision extends far beyond the boardroom. In regions with emerging tech sectors, they’re planting seeds for the future – inspiring students to embrace STEM education and creating new pathways into AI careers.

From chaos to community

Anyone who’s ever tried to organize a global volunteer network knows the challenges. For WAI, it wasn’t just about managing paperwork but building trust and maintaining relationships across continents.

Engelbrecht laughs as she recalls the old process: “You would print the Word document, sign it, scan it, email it to the regional lead, and they would keep it. Then the volunteer would move on and we have no access to the NDAs. NDAs were all over the place; wrong versions were being used, and people signed just one page and not all the pages. It was chaos.”

Making technology work for people

The search for a solution wasn’t just about finding the right features – it was about finding a partner who understood the human side of technology. After exploring various options, including well-known platforms like DocuSign, WAI found their match in Lumin.

“Usability was very important for us,” explains Engelbrecht. “As volunteers, people don’t have time, eight hours a day, to figure out a tool. Lumin is very easy to use; drag, drop, sign and off you go.”

Enterprise-grade security meets non-profit needs

Managing sensitive data across 150 countries might sound like a corporate challenge, but for WAI, it’s about protecting their community. Lumin Sign stepped up to this challenge, offering enterprise-level security features without the enterprise-level complexity or cost.

“We’ve got lots of privacy rules to comply with,” Engelbrecht notes, highlighting the importance of trust in their network. “The NDAs are quite important, and having everything in a central database means we can focus on building relationships rather than chasing paperwork.”

The solution provides everything WAI needs – centralized storage, controlled access, and secure cloud infrastructure – without breaking the bank or overwhelming volunteers with complexity.

Real impact, real stories

The numbers tell one story – cutting document processing from thirty minutes to two minutes is impressive. But the real magic happens in the extra time WAI’s volunteers have gained to make a difference. Whether it’s mentoring young women in South Africa’s townships or organizing networking events in Paris’s tech hub, every minute saved on administration is a minute invested in changing lives.

“We’re a women in AI non-profit organization, trying to do as much automation as we can,” says Engelbrecht, “There were so many manual things that were done in this organization. By automating these processes, we can spend more time on what really matters – empowering women in AI.”

Building tomorrow, today

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape our world, WAI’s mission becomes increasingly crucial. They’re not just talking about diversity in tech – they’re actively building it, one relationship at a time. 

Their embrace of digital solutions like Lumin isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about practicing what they preach and using technology to create positive change.

WAI’s story reminds us that digital transformation is beyond updating processes – it’s about empowering people. As WAI continues to grow and evolve, its now streamlined operations enable a focus on creating a future where AI reflects the diversity of the world it serves.