Last week, the Center for Data Innovation released a survey that include the following questions:
Agree or disagree?
- Technological innovations, like artificial intelligence and robotics, will make the world a better place.
- Technological innovations, like artificial intelligence and robotics, will make the workers better off in the future.
Only 31 percent of women agreed with the first statement and only 27% agreed with the second statement. In contrast, these numbers are 41% and 36% for men. There is a clear gender divide.
The report mentioned some reasons for women’s pessimism towards new technologies. A crucial one is that “women do not expect the private sector to ensure they fully benefit from advances in AI”. In fact, there are noticeable gaffes in technology products ignoring women’s needs.
How do we go from here? Many tech companies have already taken notice, including the powerhouses such as Apple and Amazon. They add features to make products more suitable for women’s use.
Another way to do this is by increasing gender diversity among those working in AI. The AI World Society strongly supports this direction. We should involve the government, policy makers, and the private sectors. The US cannot win the global AI race if inclusiveness and diversity are not at the forefront of every effort.
See the full report on the survey here.