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Early in his career, Laurence Moroney was working on an equation \u2014 not something related to his job in tech, but to his bank account. \u201cAt one point, I calculated I was about three weeks away from being homeless,\u201d Laurence says. \u201cMy motivation was to put a meal on the table and keep a roof over my head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today Laurence is a developer advocate at Google focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). \u201cIt\u2019s my goal to inform and inspire the world about what we can do with AI and ML, and help developers realize these possibilities.\u201d Laurence applied at Google in 2013 after hearing then-CEO Larry Page talk about Google\u2019s vision<\/a> to make the world a better place. \u201cI was hired on my third attempt \u2014 so yes, I failed twice!\u201d<\/p>\n Now he focuses on inviting and introducing more people to roles in the AI and ML fields through coursework, workshops and bootcamps that help developers gain job skills through professional certificates. \u201cI try to meet developers where they are, whether that\u2019s on YouTube, social media or in-person events,\u201d he says. He\u2019s particularly motivated to reach out to groups who have been historically underrepresented in tech. \u201cOften they look and see everyone is one ethnicity and one gender and they think they don\u2019t belong, but that\u2019s not the case: Everyone, all ages, disabilities, whatever your background is, you should be here,\u201d he says. \u201cIt’s so important for AI and ML work to include the entire scope of people which is why I’m so motivated to try and make everyone feel like they belong in this work.\u201d<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t an easy or straightforward path: his early years were tumultuous. Originally from Cyprus, Laurence and his family were forced to leave their home when a civil war resulted in an invasion. Exposure to chemicals used in the war zone permanently stained Laurence\u2019s teeth, and he was also left with shaky hands. After moving to four different countries before the age of 8 (and learning four different languages), they settled in Ireland. \u201cWhen you\u2019re young, you don\u2019t notice how difficult these things are, you just think\u2026this is your life and this is normal,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t have the luxury to find his \u201cpassion\u201d at work. \u201cI needed a job and I needed a career. And around that time, the internet was starting to open up all of these new possibilities and opportunities.\u201d In 1992, while bouncing around between odd jobs after receiving his degree in physics, Laurence heard about a government AI training program in the U.K. \u2014 one that worked as a sort of fellowship helping participants earn their master\u2019s degree while also working on ways that AI systems could benefit the country.<\/p>\n \u201cHundreds of people descended on the testing center, where they looked at things like IQ, reasoning skills and so on,\u201d Laurence says. Laurence also went \u2014 and ended up with the highest score. \u201cThey signed me up without realizing my background or ethnicity, and I was glad for that because I had experinced a lot of discrimination for being Irish,\u201d he notes. \u201cBy that time I had gotten in the habit of disguising my accent. I tried not to talk much when I spoke to the government official who was running the program.\u201d Despite his nerves, Laurence was asked to be the first person to sign on\u2026though, the program itself was short-lived.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Go to Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every voice we add enriches what we\u2019re doing \u2014 and every voice we lose diminishes it.<\/q><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n