Our Bureau
New York
Reshma Saujani, recognized in Forbes’ list of influential women, has launched a free tool that leverages generative AI to simplify the process of applying for and accessing paid family leave.
She posted on Twitter, “I believe we can use generative AI to help moms. That’s the simple idea behind http://PaidLeave.ai, @MomsFirstUS, new AI tool for parents to navigate the paid leave process, beginning with parents in New York state.”
The tool, called Paidleave.ai, was developed by Moms First founder Saujani to assist workers in navigating the intricate landscape of state laws related to paid family leave in the United States.
Saujani is an Indian American lawyer, politician, civil servant, and the founder of the nonprofit organization “Girls Who Code”, which aims to increase the number of women in computer science and close the gender employment difference in that field.
According to her website, in 2010, she surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for US Congress. During the race, Reshma visited local schools and saw the gender gap in computing classes firsthand, which led her to start Girls Who Code. She also served as New York City’s Deputy Public Advocate, where she created innovative partnerships to support DREAMers and promote campaign finance reform, among other initiatives.
In her nine-year tenure as the CEO of Girls Who Code, Reshma grew the organization to one of the largest and most prestigious non-profits in the country. Today, Girls Who Code has taught 300,000 girls through direct in-person computer science education programming and reached 500 million people worldwide through its New York Times-bestselling book series and award-winning campaigns. In 2019, Girls Who Code was awarded Most Innovative Non-Profit by Fast Company.
“One in four new mothers goes back to work within two weeks of giving birth and more than 90% of Americans who are low-income don’t have a single day of paid leave. That is unconscionable,” said Saujani in a statement.
“At Moms First, we are on a mission to win paid leave and affordable child care for as many moms in as many places as possible. But if we are going to win these fights, we need to do things differently — we need to innovate, we need to utilize generative AI,” she added.
Emphasizing confidentiality and privacy, PaidLeave.ai addresses detailed questions about individual circumstances, offering valuable resources in the process. With a human-like voice, the AI assists parents in maximizing their benefits and provides a clear action plan for completing and submitting their claims.
