Smarter, Not Harder: Black Women-Owned App Wisdom Is First Audio Social App Using AI

A Black-owned app is showing users how to use artificial intelligence the right way.

Wisdom, created by Dayo Akinrinade, is an audio-first social discovery app that looks to create deeper connections and lasting friendships between like-minded users.

Akinrinade said the app leverages advanced AI with the power of social audio to make the world a little wiser. “Wisdom offers women a safe space to converse about topics that matter to them, such as women’s rights, domestic violence, leadership, and wellness,” Akinrinade said, according to People of Color in Tech.

“Our users who don’t identify as women consider themselves allies, and provide support by participating in the conversations or simply listening.”

The University of Manchester alumna created the app in 2021 after feeling unseen and underestimated in the world of computer science. Wisdom users can engage in live conversations on topics, ask questions or listen back to them on demand. Anyone can start a chat or engage in Q&A on a topic that matters to them—all for free. The platform uses advanced algorithms and AI to learn users’ interests and values and connect them.

Using audio AI has set Wisdom apart from other apps. According to Akinrinade, audio is the “most human of all mediums.” Akinrinade believes audio may be “one of the most democratic forms of social communication.”

The journey of being a Black woman in tech hasn’t been easy. She told Mirror she was subjected to abuse on her own app. “My team brought to my attention that there was a particular user who had created a talk on Wisdom and was body-shaming me and using racial slurs and sexually threatening language against me,” she said. “He said things like, ‘You know, she’s Nigerian, they are scammers.'”

In an interview with Apple Newsroom, the founder noticed that a lack of social capital contributes to systemic inequity and disadvantages for founders, another reason why she was inspired to start the app.

“We’re growing an open and diverse community where the conversations center around advice and personal development,” Akinrinade said.