Breaking Down AI’s Gender Bias: Why Women Are Left Behind

How can AI be more inclusive for women?

AI Mirrors Societal Gender Biases

Artificial Intelligence (AI) often reflects the gender biases present in society. A study by the Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership found that 44% of AI systems exhibit gender bias, with 25% also showing racial bias. This issue arises because AI systems are trained on data that often contains inherent societal biases. For example, when artist Beyza Doğuç prompted AI to write a story involving a doctor and a nurse, the AI consistently assigned traditional gender roles, highlighting the impact of biassed training data on AI outputs (UN Women).

Gender Bias in AI Development

The development of AI is predominantly led by men, which influences the gender implications of AI-powered solutions. Quantum computing researcher Sola Mahfouz and student Natacha Sangwa both emphasise the need for diverse representation in AI development. The lack of female perspectives in creating and training AI systems results in tools that often overlook or misinterpret women’s experiences and needs, such as misdiagnosing illnesses that present differently in women. To address these issues, it’s essential to prioritise gender equality in AI development by diversifying teams and ensuring data representation.

Global Governance and Gender Equality in AI

Addressing gender bias in AI requires robust global governance frameworks. Helene Molinier from UN Women advocates for a global multistakeholder governance model to ensure AI systems are safe, equitable, and free from harmful biases. The upcoming Global Digital Compact (GDC) negotiations present an opportunity to integrate gender perspectives into digital governance. Without these measures, AI could perpetuate existing gender gaps, leading to further discrimination and inequality. UN Women’s position paper on the GDC offers recommendations to leverage digital transformation for the empowerment of women and girls globally.

(Visit UN Women for the full story)

*An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.