- Before we get started, can you give me an overview of your background - you taught yourself Machine Learning - how did you go about this, and what was it that sparked your interest initially?
- You mentioned that before Google Brain, you founded a non-profit called Delta Analytics. Can you tell me a bit more about your initiatives, what you’re working on, and how you came about starting this?
- Going back to your current work, please can you give me an overview of your role and research at Google Brain
- What advances in AI have helped you in your recent research?
- What challenges are you currently facing?
- What problems are you currently trying to solve in your work?
- What industries can benefit from your research and what are some of the real world applications?
- You mentioned that you’ve taught intro to ML courses in Kenya and it’s now being taught in Morocco - how important do you think diversity and accessibility is in AI?
- What can we do to encourage all genders and backgrounds into AI?
- What’s next for you in your work?
- Where can we keep up to date with you? (Twitter, LinkedIn, website etc.)

Sara Hooker is Artificial Intelligence Resident at Google Brain doing deep learning research on model compression and reliable explanations of model predictions for black-box models. Her main research interests gravitate towards interpretability, model compression and security. In 2014, she founded Delta Analytics, a non-profit dedicated to bringing technical capacity to help non-profits across the world use machine learning for good. She spent her childhood in Africa, growing up in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Lesotho and Kenya. Her family now lives in Monrovia, Liberia.

Natacha Mainville is a seasoned engineering executive and a fintech veteran who has assembled and led teams in resolving pivotal challenges in the domain. During her 14 years in the financial industry, her passion for innovation and transformation resulted in her leading a team of over 150 engineers and technologists through a cultural and technology shift to enable the development of an AI ready, mobile-first technology stack overhaul for one of the largest insurance providers in Canada. She later on joined TandemLaunch Inc., a Montreal-based startup foundry that works globally with entrepreneurs to turn research from top universities into consumer technology companies. As Chief Innovation Officer, she was involved in technology & talent sourcing, as well as providing guidance and mentoring to ambitious entrepreneurs. Through her career, her passion for AI has grown and led her to get involved in the community, joining the IVADO tech transfer committee and serving on their board, as well as mentoring a few young founders in the startup community. She recently decided to pursue her AI passion full time, joining the Google AI team in order to continue to grow, learn and have a positive impact. Natacha believes in a world with more young women in STEM and leadership positions. She actively seeks opportunities to champion this cause through mentorship, discussion and outreach. Natacha graduated from Polytechnique Montreal in Computer Engineering and is the proud mom of seven year old twin girls who love exploring the world and discovering new cultures.