Will AI Impact Women Differently?

It’s hard to believe it’s been just 14 months since ChatGPT was released and generative AI came crashing into our cultural awareness in a whole new way. Since then, the technology has produced existential dread, soaring optimism, billions of investment dollars, and countless mediocre college admissions essays.

AI is expected to bring seismic societal changes in the coming decades, but speculation abounds as to what this looks like, who will be impacted, and whether robots will take over the world. Women are more skeptical of AI than men, and perhaps for good reason–research suggests it will impact men and women differently, and the outcome could be a mixed bag. Here’s what we know:

AI can (and does) learn bias

Artificial intelligence works by consuming and learning from vast amounts of data, and data is often biased. This “gender data gap” stems from centuries of male-centric societal norms, resulting in data sets that have mostly male inputs or contain existing gender stereotypes. And when you put bias into an Al model, you get bias out. For example, when an AI tool was asked to create images of workers in various occupations, it generated far more pictures of men in high-paying jobs than it did of women and people of color.

But… AI is inherently unbiased. Unlike human beings, AI has no innate risk of unconscious bias or generational stereotypes – its bias comes from the data it takes in, not the technology itself. If trained properly, AI has the potential to reduce bias in hiring, school admissions, performance reviews, and more. In fact, one study found that AI technology was more likely to recommend women candidates for jobs in tech compared to human recruiters.

AI-driven job displacement may impact women more

Automation is expected to cause massive workforce disruption over the next decade – by 2030, up to 30% of the tasks currently done in the U.S. could be automated – and women may be more vulnerable. Research shows that women are overrepresented in industries where the risk of shrinkage is greatest, like food services, customer service, and office support. One report found that eight out of ten women hold jobs that are “highly exposed” to AI automation, compared to six out of ten men.

But… there’s a lot we don’t know. A study published this week predicted the biggest AI-related job upheavals will actually happen in tech and banking, both male-dominated industries. Moreover, AI is also expected to create new jobs at the same time as it eliminates them, which could open new opportunities to break into the industry. Access to training and reskilling programs will be critical for women to increase their presence in tech.

AI could perpetuate stereotypes about women as caregivers

Have you noticed that the most widely used AI voice assistants (Alexa, Siri, and Microsoft’s Cortana) all default to female-sounding voices? Experts have, and they fear this could reinforce stereotypes of women as submissive caretakers or helpers. A USC Sociology professor explained that these technologies can act as a “powerful socialization tool that teaches us about the role of women, girls, and people who are gendered female to respond on demand.”

But… AI might offload caregiving and unpaid labor. It’s no secret that women take on more household work than men – to the tune of 1.7x the amount of labor – and generative AI has the potential to lighten the load. A recent study found that 40% of time spent on domestic tasks could be eliminated by AI in the next decade, a trend that we’ve already seen as women report using ChatGPT to generate meal plans, summer camp schedules, and more. If streamlining this type of unpaid labor frees up more time for career advancement, mental health, community, or loved ones, then women stand to benefit.

Women could be disproportionately targeted by deepfakes

AI technology makes it easier than ever to produce fake images and videos that appear highly realistic. As a result, virtually anyone can make and share explicit content, creating a “new tool” for bad actors to target women. This week, fake pornographic images of Taylor Swift circulated on X (formerly Twitter), underscoring abuse experts’ predictions that AI will increase online extortion and harassment of women and children.

But… there are opportunities to combat these non-consensual deepfakes, and the biggest is regulation. Only ten states have laws prohibiting these fake pornographic images, but Taylor Swift’s experience seems to have spurred federal lawmakers into action. Congress just introduced a new bipartisan bill that would enable victims to file lawsuits against individuals who produce and disseminate sexually explicit deepfakes.

To sum it all up…

The future of AI presents both massive risks and promising opportunities for women, and much remains to be seen. One thing’s for certain – we need more women in the fields that are shaping technology, where they’re vastly underrepresented today. To ensure AI is developed fairly, women’s voices must be at the table.

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