During this Masterclass, Rana el Kaliouby, Ph.D., shares her life's work: to humanize technology before it dehumanizes us. The CEO and co-founder of MIT spin-out Affectiva, and the author of the recently released memoir, Girl Decoded, Rana is a rarity in both the tech world and her native Middle East: an academic-turned-tech-entrepreneur, and a woman in charge in a field that is still overwhelmingly white and male.

It all started with an "a-ha" moment: technology has a lot of IQ, but no EQ, or emotional intelligence. To combat the lack of empathy in our virtual worlds, Rana pioneered the new technology category of Emotion AI: software that can understand nuanced human emotions and complex cognitive states. Emotion AI is already being applied across industries like automotive, mental health, media analytics and more; and now, amidst the global pandemic, Rana envisions future use cases for Emotion AI to help us maintain meaningful connections as we work, learn and socialize online.

While sharing her compelling vision for the future of tech and AI, Rana will also touch on her experience as a female founder in the male-dominated tech industry. From candidly discussing her experience raising capital, to confronting cultural norms, Rana will share the ways she's found her voice, and her thoughts on how we can continue to build a strong ecosystem for female founders and funders in tech.

Carla Brodley, Dean of Khoury College of Computer Sciences, guides a Q&A to delve deeper into Rana’s story, experiences, and newest book.

You can read more about Rana's mission to humanize technology and her personal path in her memoir, Girl Decoded, available now wherever books are sold. Visit http://www.ranaelkaliouby.com/girldecodedto learn more and order.