Global Virtual Telco Pride

AI and Pride, the conversation nobody is having

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We’re told AI is neutral — objective, just maths. It isn’t. Someone went and tested that, and found it treats LGBTQ+ people worse, measurably, again and again — not because anyone typed the bias in on purpose, but because it learned from us and copied what it found. This episode is about what that looks like in practice: whether LGBTQ+ bias in AI is real, where it comes from, deadnaming and rigid binary assumptions, what happens when a chatbot starts agreeing with you, and why the same thing that breaks it could also fix it. With Kaaren Hilsen, who runs the Telenor AI Factory, and Sophie Willums, a psychologist and summer intern who quietly took apart everything Kaaren thought she knew. There’s a benchmark in here that ranks AI models from ‘slightly concerning’ to ‘gravely concerning’ — and yes, that’s a real scale.

Featuring Kaaren Hilsen (she/her, Telenor), who hosts this episode, with Sophie Madeline Willums (Telenor). Introduced by Yuki Morais (they/them, Nokia).

When out isn't an option

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Almost every company will tell you it’s inclusive. There’s a values page, a code of conduct, laws against discrimination, and then there’s the coffee machine, where you find out what people actually think. In a lot of workplaces nobody is visibly out. That tells you something, but not that there’s no one there. This episode is about what leaders can actually do when coming out doesn’t feel like an option: being inclusive without being intrusive, why “culture fit” can quietly mean “people like us,” the bias buddy every leader should have, and the one thing you could try at work next week. There’s a buffet metaphor in here about garlic bread that’s stuck with us.

Featuring Emma Birchall (she/her, Ericsson), who hosts this episode, with Marlena Sofia Rasmussen (Telenor, Denmark) and Karin Iannetta (Garnes Data, a Telia partner in Norway). Introduced by Yuki Morais (they/them, Nokia).

Safe to be yourself online

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

For a lot of LGBTQ+ people, especially when you’re young, the internet is the first place you get to try on who you are — long before any workplace, sometimes before anyone around you knows. It’s community, information, a lifeline. It’s also where you’ll find the most hostility, in the exact same place. Åsa Lenhoff leads the team behind Telenor Sweden’s Nätprat (“net talk”), helping young people build resilience for life online. She and Yuki get into the parts that don’t have a tidy answer: why the internet is moving from big open platforms into small closed groups — safer for some, somewhere harassment can hide for others — whether age bans actually help (not on their own), what we should be asking of the platforms instead, and the one small thing any of us can do this week. There’s a number in here about what kids get sent by strangers that’s worth sitting with.

Featuring Åsa Lenhoff (Telenor Sweden). Hosted by Yuki Morais (they/them, Nokia).

Why we still do this

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Being out at work isn’t one decision. It’s a hundred small ones a day. For our first episode, four LGBTQ+ people from across the telecoms industry get honest about what that actually feels like in 2026: the mask almost everyone wears, a coming-out story that goes so well it gets awkward, and the gap between a friendly colleague and a workplace that’s genuinely changed — the policy, the building, even the bathroom. Funny in places, uncomfortable in others, and not tied up with a bow. There’s a number in here that stuck with us, too.

Featuring Urtė Tamutytė (she/her, Telia, Lithuania), Helge Rundhaug (he/him, Telia, Norway), Chris Hovde (he/him, leadership consultant), and Mia Beaudoin-Dion (they/them, Celestica, Canada). Hosted by Yuki Morais (they/them).

Teaser

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A short teaser introducing the Global Virtual Telco Pride podcast — recordings from the annual livestream where leading telcos unite for LGBTQI+ inclusion.