Children as young as two should be introduced to the basics of coding, according to one of Britain’s most eminent computing pioneers. Shirley also called on tech companies, such as Google and Facebook, to introduce anonymous recruitment to help address the lack of female programmers. Out of the first 300 staff, she employed just three male programmers and the gender ratio only shifted significantly when the Sex Discrimination Act passed in 1975. She also worries that lack of diversity in tech is leading to products that have bias programmed into them. Such technology is already being tested at Priors Court in Berkshire, a residential school for autistic children that Shirley founded.

Source: The Guardian August 20, 2017 22:23 UTC