Live Build Showcase &Peer Learning Night

A Word from an Ally

Hi everyone, I’m YuJin.

Thank you for having me here, not just as someone in the Claude community, but as an ally.

I’ve had quite an unusual career. I’ve spent 25 years in the corporate world, 15 years at Citi, four years at Resorts World Sentosa, and other roles along the way. But I also wear a very different hat. For close to 30 years, I’ve been part of the nightlife industry, as a full-time DJ, music and venue consultant, and now as a partner and Sales Director at Layers of Time, a creative and production agency.

So I’ve spent my career moving between boardrooms and DJ booths, corporate strategy and creative production. And across both worlds, I’ve seen the same thing: who gets heard, who gets the opportunity, and whose ideas get taken seriously really matters.

We often say that we believe in meritocracy. I do believe in meritocracy. The best idea should win. The most capable person should have the opportunity. Good work should be recognised.

But for meritocracy to be real, the playing field has to be level first. If some people are interrupted more often, given less credit, asked to prove themselves more, or simply not invited into the room, then it is not really meritocracy. It is just the same system choosing the same people again.

That is why this matters in AI. AI has the potential to level the playing field. It lowers the barrier to creating. You do not need to know how to code to test an idea. You do not need a huge team to make a prototype. You can learn, build, write, design, analyse, and experiment much faster than before. That is powerful.

But technology only levels the playing field if people have access, confidence, community, and room to participate. Otherwise, we risk building the future with the same old imbalances, just at a much faster speed.

For me, supporting women in AI is not about giving anyone special treatment. It is about making sure talent is not overlooked.

There are women here with ideas, instincts, and lived experiences that will make products better, businesses stronger, and technology more useful for real people. The question is not whether that talent exists. It is whether we create the conditions for it to be seen and heard.

And for men, allyship is quite practical. It means noticing who is being heard in a meeting, and who is not. It means giving credit where it is due. It means recommending women for opportunities, panels, projects, and roles. It means making space without feeling the need to take over the conversation. And it means doing this consistently, not only at an event like this, but in the everyday moments where decisions are actually made.

I am still learning. I will not always get it right. But I know that silence is also a choice.

What I hope for this community is simple: that Women in Claude becomes a place where people can learn, build, ask questions, test ideas, and support each other without feeling that they need to prove they belong first.

AI is giving us a rare chance to reset some of the rules. Let us use that chance well. Let us make this a space where the best ideas can truly come from anyone, and where everyone has a fair chance to bring them forward.

Thank you.