We need more women in AI for an inclusive future

Science and technology have been a privileged fief of men for centuries, but the present disruption being caused by the rise of AI presents a tantalising moment for women to leapfrog their historical disadvantages. So said a stellar line-up of women tech leaders in the field of AI during our webinar last week.

Sreyssha George, MD & Partner at BCG (Boston Consulting Group), says that a global study that BCG undertook even showed that women in senior roles are more represented in AI fields than men, but that the situation reverses itself when more junior roles are compared. “So, we are taking the opportunity to leapfrog and throw away that legacy of men always being ahead, but we’re not seeing that consistently across the board.”

One of the biggest dangers comes from the data that AI systems are being fed. An AI system’s capability is heavily dependent on the data on which it is trained. And, in the case of large language models in particular, a lot of this training is based on publicly available data. This is data that comes with all the biases that are inherent in our societies.

Rohini Srivathsa, CTO for Microsoft in India & South Asia, says that there are techniques galore to counteract the biases in the data – like grounding the models in specific data and ensuring guardrails are built into the system. But an even surer way of ensuring the rise of progressive AI systems, she says, is to make sure more women are involved in the research and development part of the process.

Another way women can leave their mark on the AI field is by simply adopting it faster than men in the workplace, says Shalini Kapoor, director & chief technologist for public sector at AWS in India & South Asia. “We did a study specifically on AI skills to see how men and women perceive it. And we found that 71% of women said they saw Gen AI positively and that they want to develop AI skills in the corporate sector, which was a few basis points above how positively men saw it.”

Geeta Gurnani, IBM’s technology CTO & technical sales leader for India & South Asia, says that beyond bias-free data and workplace inclusion, how women are treated in their homes will also be a major factor that determines the fairness of the AI systems of tomorrow. She says it is imperative that we encourage women to aspire more and to dare to demand their rights. “I think there is a lot of course correction needed in our social fabric, where we need to challenge and talk more about it (the disparity between men and women in different fields). I think many statistics will shock people.”

Simply having role models for other women to look up to can also make a world of a difference. “Women should just remember the impact they have. The other day, somebody in my kid’s school bought a new car, and my elder daughter, without missing a beat said, ‘Mama, I’m sure that mama got a promotion.’ We just never understand the impact all of us women have on children. So, talk about what you do, share your stories, it makes a difference. And although my daughter might never understand the impact that statement she made had, it was very profound for me when I heard it,” says Sreyssha.

How to keep up with AI
One of the challenges that both men and women will face in the coming years relates to how they can keep track of the constantly changing tech landscape. If AI systems are going to keep getting smarter, where does that leave the average person in the long run?

Sindhu Gangadharan, MD of SAP Labs India, says that when one is confronted with such an ever-evolving landscape, it is only the relentless pursuit of knowledge and a deep-seated commitment to constantly upskill ourselves that will help any of us stay ahead of the curve. “Being stagnant and being this person who says, ‘Hey, I know it all, I’ve been here for quite some time,’ that’s not going to work. It’s all about being agile, it’s about staying curious. It’s really about cultivating a mindset that thrives on innovation, and not being afraid of challenging the status quo.”