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REPRESENTED with Annie Gichuru
Welcome to REPRESENTED, the podcast.
This is your weekly dose of inspiration that’ll support you to build a racially inclusive online business without letting the fear of getting it wrong get in the way. These episodes will provide insights, strategies, and discussions that break down barriers and empower you to navigate the racial equity landscape.
I’m Annie Gichuru, your host as well as a Racial Equity Coach who supports online business owners such as coaches, course creators, membership owners and group program facilitators. It’s my calling in nature and ability to break-down complex and often uncomfortable conversations around race that has seen me teach over 100 online business owners to be more racially inclusive through my online program REPRESENTED.
Be sure to subscribe, rate and review so this podcast can reach more online business owners and begin to not only normalise racial inclusion in the online coaching space but see us actively shift our perspectives.
REPRESENTED with Annie Gichuru
54. Exposing Digital Colorism Featuring Christelle Mombo-Zigah
AI is shaping the world faster than we can keep up. But what happens when the technology meant to serve us erases us instead?
My guest today, Christelle Mombo-Zigah, is exposing a critical issue: digital colorism: the biases in AI that distort, misrepresent, and sometimes completely erase people of colour in digital spaces.
Born and raised in France to Congolese parents and now based in Silicon Valley, Christelle is a futurist and problem-solver who believes AI can be a force for good, but only if we address its biases head-on. She founded Digital Colorism, an impact audit that helps businesses identify and fix bias in AI-generated avatars and digital humans.
Through her extensive research and 20+ interviews with AI users, responsible AI advocates, and data governance experts, Christelle uncovered six alarming areas of bias in AI-generated imagery:
✔️ Colorism – Skin tones altered or erased
✔️ Texturism – Natural hair types misrepresented
✔️ Featurism – Facial features distorted
✔️ Ageism – People misportrayed by age
✔️ Sizeism – Body shapes and sizes excluded
✔️ Accessibility – Barriers for marginalised communities
In this conversation, we discuss:
🎙 The real-world consequences of AI reinforcing harmful biases
🎙 How digital colorism connects to historical prejudices, even within communities of colour
🎙 The systemic problems in AI development and what businesses need to do now
🎙 Christelle’s journey as a self-published children’s author and why diverse representation in storytelling matters just as much as in AI.
If you’re an online business owner, coach, or just someone who uses AI in any capacity, this conversation is a must-listen. AI bias isn’t just about technology. It’s about power, representation, and ensuring that no one’s identity is erased.
LINKS:
Christelle Mombo-Zigah
Website
LinkedIn
Free AI Bias Guide
I'd love to invite you to dive deeper into racial inclusion work by joining me for the next round of my 10 week online program REPRESENTED. Check out all the details and join the waitlist 👉🏾 https://anniegichuru.com/represented
Come say hi on Instagram, let me know where you are tuning in from. I'd love to hear from you 👉🏾 https://www.instagram.com/annie.gichuru
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