Women face many challenges when it comes to obtaining empowerment and equality in the workplace. We have yet to see equal rights when it comes to various types of leave, from menstrual to paternity leave, all of which will contribute towards this mission. 

But another huge problem women face is the gender bias of AI. After all, 80% of AI professors are men, with only 18% of authors at leading AI conferences being women.

In addition to the gender pay gap, and the ways in which AI technology itself is gender biased means that there’s also an inequality when it comes to the difference between how men and women adopt AI into their workplace practices. 

Research has found that women adopt generative AI tools at work 25% less than men. This study found that this “gender gap in generative AI usage” found that it risks a “self-reinforcing cycle”.

“Women’s underrepresentation in generative AI usage would lead to systems trained on data that inadequately sample women’s preferences and needs, ultimately widening existing gender disparities in technology adoption and economic opportunity,” the report reads. 

Research says that the reasons for this underrepresentation are as follows: women have been found to be more likely to question the ethics of how AI is being used (in terms of the environment, privacy and security concerns and more), as well as being more prone to worry about being judged for using AI work tools that ultimately makes their life easier, for fear it will be seen as “cutting corners”. Women are also reportedly more likely to feel reluctant to use AI because rules around its usage at work might not be clear, and feel more uncomfortable bending any rules. 

A separate report has also revealed that “female workers often receive less priority in accessing AI tools on the job.” Only 35% of women have been offered access to AI by their employers compared with 41% for men.

Women were also found to feel less confident (30%) than men (35%) that the training they have received has “adequately prepared them to utilise the technology in their careers”.

Ella Writer, a career coach specialising in the area of female empowerment explains that leads to women being disempowered in the workplace, as “generic advice won't support or enable women, as it's trained on data, and feedback that isn't specific to women”, Therefore, have to spend more time writing specific prompts for AI and engaging more directly with the technology in order to get it to understand them. “I believe men can get what they need from technology like Chat GPT without as much effort,” she says. 

According to Ella, a key reason that women might not feel as confident using AI at work is part of a “great difference between women and men, that make us both brilliant”. 

“Women will see the big picture, all the possible rights and wrongs of something, which means they both spend more time thinking in advance, and stop themselves from taking action out of fear as they've pre-empted all the consequences.

“A man typically won't think through all those consequences, try something out, and learn as they go. Meaning they get stuck in quicker, adapt, and learn on the job. 

“Both approaches have their merits, but the current AI landscape rewards the second, and it's leaving women behind.” 

When done appropriately, AI can be implemented in the workplace to empower women, though. Leadership coach Nikki Innocent explains that a key part of this is challenging the AI technology itself.

“One of my favourite discoveries in engaging with AI is how much the feminine perspective is lacking from the responses and therefore I have a chance to flesh out my take with the AI in a way that in most male dominated spaces social norms or emotional outbursts restrict progress,” she says. 

“An AI doesn’t respond emotionally or defensively when you inform it that the data or examples it provided were very skewed towards the male perspective, it is most often able to take in your observation and adjust based on that feedback. In human interactions, the pushback is driven by power, ego and other distracting factors that limit the ability to make progress towards the goal you are seeking to achieve.” 

Using AI in the workplace in this way to handle what Ella calls “non-promotable tasks” that often fall disproportionately to women, like writing summary reports, automatically handling requests, note taking and writing short blurbs and copy can free women up to focus on elements of their role that can push their progress forward in the workplace.

Employers should also be aware of this issue and ensure that such tasks are spread across teams in an equitable way between male and female employees. They should also set clear and inclusive policies across the workplace that are transparent and supportive when it comes to AI use for women. They should encourage ethical uses of AI for all, that align with career development for women as well as men – ensuring that the technology is used as a resource for everyone.

Also, AI tools such as BiasBot are able to navigate gender and ethics biases in company copy, helping to shift workplace culture in a more equal direction. 

Of course, on a large scale, we also need larger female representation in AI strategy, governance and production. Until the systems are designed with female and male intelligence and experience in mind, with women at the decision making table, gender bias in AI will always be present. 

So from small changes made within individual workplaces to the need for female leadership in the formation of AI technology, a lot of work needs to be done to ensure that women are able to fully utilise AI technology for their own empowerment and advancement in the workplace.