AI as a Lens for Remembrance and Reach

Instead of seeing AI as a shortcut for content, we view it as a lens. It can help us uncover hidden patterns in data, revealing the contributions of women, including trans women, two-spirit, and gender-diverse individuals who were never properly credited—such as the lab technician whose contributions and protocols were never attributed in the final paper,  or the production manager, often left off credits, who can now prove their creative input to the concept development with time-stamped evidence in digitized and transcribed meeting notes and call sheets. By directing AI toward repair and remembrance, rather than just speed, it becomes a valuable tool for proper recognition. 

It also expands who gets to be heard and extends accessibility for listeners. Translation models can convey a filmmaker’s words from Cree or French into English without losing the core of her story. Captioning and transcription tools make panels and films accessible to individuals with hearing challenges, parents with sleeping babies, and anyone who prefers reading to listening. An image description can turn an exhibition into a story that you can hold in your mind. None of this diminishes the importance of the creative process or human verification; instead, it expands the audience who can engage with it and the narratives that can be shared. Language justice is intersectional: adherence to dialects, cultural protocols, and accessibility ensures that women from diverse backgrounds, including those of different races, classes, abilities, and migration experiences, are represented on their own terms.

For us, a mindful approach means asking better questions:

• Not, “What’s a trending quote from a famous woman?” but, “Whose voice is essential to this story, and how do we honour her perspective?” 
• Not, “Can AI make this faster?” but, “Can AI help us find the woman that history forgot?” 

Sometimes the answer is to use AI. Other times, it's valuable to go to the source. Conduct an interview, consult and pay a female elder to review our work, or commission a piece from a woman who should be in the history books.