Danielle Boyer
Founder, The STEAM Connection
She turned down a reported $65 million from a big tech company for the AI she built to teach her endangered language.
- Born
- Not published
- Now
- Founder and CEO, The STEAM Connection
- Studied
- No degree listed
Interesting facts
- Turning point
Says a major tech company offered $65 million for her language AI and the recordings behind it; after consulting her community, she said no.
time.com - Early start
Designed her first robot at 17 and founded The STEAM Connection at 18, giving away robot kits made from recycled plastic.
en.wikipedia.org - Side project
Her grandmother, the last fluent Anishinaabemowin speaker in their family, was the voice of the very first SkoBot.
home.dartmouth.edu - Before AI
The idea for the shoulder-riding SkoBot came to her in a toy store, inspired by Tickle Me Elmo.
npr.org - Numbers
Has put 350 SkoBots into Tribal schools and Indigenous youth programs since 2021, all free, reaching more than 10,000 children.
time.com - In their words
Says a popular chatbot invented an Anishinaabemowin word for dreamcatcher's weave, which is why her robots use no large language model.
time.com
Career
- The STEAM ConnectionFounder and CEO2019 to now