How might AI support gender equity in the workplace?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ever present in our daily activities.

When you stop to think about it, AI has enabled convenience and automation to many things that we do as consumers and in our workplaces. Some existing applications include:

Asking AI personal assistants like Apple’s “Siri” and Google’s “Alexa” to play your favorite music or what the weather is like today
Tracking your steps and fitness or sleep on wearable devices
Getting customer service or help support using online Chatbots
Seeing product recommendations based on previous purchases featured on online shopping sites
Replying to an email and using a quick response recommendation
Messaging on Instagram and seeing the automatic replacement of emojis with slangs to make reactions more conversational

What exactly is AI? Analyst firm Gartner defines AI as applying advanced analysis and logic-based techniques, including machine learning, to interpret events, support and automate decisions and to take actions.

Artificial Intelligence is as a game changer

Like the introduction of the Internet and mobile technology such as the iPhone, AI is set to be a game changer.

Bill Gates says of AI: “The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.” (Read more)

AI is expected to have an enormous impact on the global economy and workforce.

Economic impact

AI has the potential to deliver additional global economic activity of around $13 trillion by 2030, or about 16 percent higher cumulative GDP compared with today. This amounts to 1.2 percent additional GDP growth per year, according to McKinsey.

Workforce impact

About two-thirds of jobs in the United States and Europe or 300 million jobs “are exposed to some degree of AI automation,” and 18% of work globally could be done by AI completely, according to Goldman Sachs economists.

Speed of adoption

The speed of innovation is making AI applications more readily available, and the adoption rate is stunning. Most recently, Open AI’s generative AI, ChatGPT reached 100 million users in just two months from its release overtaking TikTok and Instagram which took 9 months and 2 years respectively to reach that same number of users according to UBS and Sensor Tower.

A survey by IBM reveals that 35% of companies around the world are using AI in their business, and an additional 42% reported they are exploring AI.

Gender perceptions of AI

Interestingly, at the consumer level PEW Research found that women are more concerned than men on the possibilities of AI in dealing with some everyday needs such as diagnosing medical problems and making important life decisions.

Taking the bias out of AI

AI is not without its problems. Gartner predicts that 85% of AI projects will deliver erroneous outcomes due to bias in data, algorithms, or the teams responsible for managing them. After all, AI emulates the data that exists today which often perpetuates gender and other biases.

Having more women of diverse backgrounds involved in the design, development, and data used for AI applications is an important step towards reducing the risk of bias. There is still a long way to go to encourage more women to be represented in AI fields. Currently women account for just 26% of data and AI positions in the workforce according to the World Economic Forum.

AI and gender equity in the workplace

AI solutions can help to:

Reduce the conscious and unconscious bias in recruiting, performance reviews, and promotion processes
Analyze data and propose action to close the gender pay gap by eliminating discrimination based on gender and related characteristics
Personalize talent development journeys
Improve communication tools to suggest more gender-neutral language
Perform routine administrative tasks to free up time for value added performance

While some AI powered HR tech applications already exist to address these issues, they are yet to be widely adopted. A study by Eightfold AI shows that AI is being used on average 32% to 44% in one or more areas of HR, including talent acquisition and management processes, onboarding new employees, and payroll processing.