Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shaping the future, influencing everything from healthcare diagnostics to recruitment processes and educational tools. However, there is a significant gender imbalance in AI development, with women comprising less than 30% of the AI workforce. This disparity has real world consequences, with one study finding that nearly 45% of 130 AI systems evaluated exhibited gender bias.
But the benefits of including women in AI development go beyond mitigating bias, as it also helps enhance system capabilities and improve fairness in AI systems used in critical sectors, improving equity for all.. In reality, the inclusion of women in AI development is not just a matter of fairness; it is a necessity for innovation, accuracy, and equity. By incorporating diverse perspectives, AI can be more effective, unbiased, and impactful across critical sectors.
Reducing Bias
Greater participation of women in AI is closely linked to the creation of more ethical and inclusive technologies. AI systems learn from the data they are given. The datasets we train AI on are inevitably shaped by the biases inherent in society. So unless the people developing AI systems are equipped to identify these biases, they are likely to end up in the final product producing potentially biased and discriminatory outcomes.
Women in AI can bring the perspectives required to identify and mitigate these biases, by questioning assumptions embedded in training data and algorithmic design. For example, researcher Joy Buolamwini's landmark project Gender Shades uncovered large accuracy disparities in commercial facial recognition systems, especially for women with dark skin. Her work, and the efforts of others like her, revealed how AI products can fail marginalised groups when teams lack diverse perspectives. This is just one example of how women in AI have been at the forefront of both identifying and fixing issues of bias. Buolamwini herself went on to found the Algorithmic Justice League to combat algorithmic bias.
The bottom line is that more diverse teams ensure that AI models and systems are tested and refined with broader perspectives, reducing the risk of discrimination and producing fairer, more equitable (and ethical) systems.
Enhancing System Capabilities
Diversity isn't only about equity, it's also a proven catalyst for innovation and effectiveness. When teams consist of people from different backgrounds, disciplines, and life experiences, they are better equipped to challenge conventional thinking and generate more creative solutions. In fact, studies have shown that mixed-gender teams produce more novel and higher impact scientific ideas than single gender teams.
Women contribute unique insights to AI development, fostering problem-solving approaches that might otherwise be overlooked. Women also bring a different approach to risk assessment, ethics, and human-centric design, all of which are critical in AI development. For instance, the creation of the ImageNet dataset by Dr. Fei-Fei Li – a project credited with catalysing modern computer vision advances – "drastically improved AI systems' ability to recogniseand interpret images". Such breakthroughs underscore how empowering women in technical leadership can drive the field forward.
AI is not just about code and algorithms; it is about designing systems that understand and serve people effectively. A broader range of perspectives ensures that AI solutions are not only technically robust but also socially aware and adaptable to different contexts.
Improving Equity in Critical Sectors
AI is increasingly embedded in sectors that directly impact people's lives, such as healthcare and education. However, without adequate representation of diverse groups in their design, these systems risk perpetuating existing inequalities rather than addressing them. Including more women in developing these AI systems leads to more equitable outcomes across these critical sectors, ensuring they serve all demographics fairly.
In healthcare, for example, there is the risk that AI models trained on male-dominated datasets will misdiagnose women's symptoms, particularly in areas like heart disease, where symptoms can present differently between genders. But female AI pioneers are harnessing this technology to develop inclusive solutions that save lives. Consider Dr. Regina Barzilay, who harnessed machine learning for early breast cancer detection, developing algorithms that can catch cancer years earlier and making these tools available to underprivileged communities worldwide.
Similarly, in education, AI-powered learning tools and assessment algorithms must account for the diverse ways in which students engage with content. Women can contribute to making these systems more adaptable and inclusive, ensuring that learning technologies cater to a wide range of student needs rather than reinforcing traditional biases. In addition, women often drive initiatives to improve education and inclusivity, creating a pipeline of future leaders. A great example of this is Dr. Fei-Fei Li's AI4ALL, which aims to drive AI innovation with diverse perspectives by bringing underrepresented groups into this sector.
We can all benefit from more inclusive development teams, as they are more likely to design AI products with global users in mind, making them effective for populations worldwide rather than just a narrow segment.
Catalysing Change
If AI is to reach its full potential as a transformative force for good, then increasing the participation of women and other marginalised groups is a necessity, not a "nice-to-have". An AI sector that draws on the full spectrum of human talent will create solutions that are more ethical, inclusive, and impactful. It will mean we are better equipped to tackle global challenges in a way that serves all communities, not just the privileged few.
Achieving this will take a concerted effort in our schools, our workplaces, and at a policy level to continue breaking down the barriers for women in STEM. But as computing pioneer Karen Spärck Jones once famously remarked, "Computing is too important to be left to men". In the age of AI, her words ring truer than ever. When we ensure that women have an equal hand in shaping AI systems, we can catalyse a new wave of innovation, one that harnesses the untapped power of half the world's population for the benefit of all.
