State of Women in AI 2024

AI systems built without women's voices miss half the world and actively distort reality for everyone. On International Women's Day - and every day - this truth demands our attention. After more than two decades working at the intersection of technological innovation and human rights, I've observed a consistent pattern: systems designed without inclusive input inevitably encode the inequalities of the world we have today, incorporating biases in data, algorithms, and even policy. Building technology that works requires our shared participation as the foundation of effective innovation. The data is sobering: women represent only 30% of the AI workforce and a mere 12% of AI research and development positions according to UNESCO's Gender and AI Outlook. This absence shapes the technology itself. And a UNESCO study on Large Language Models (LLMs) found persistent gender biases - where female names were disproportionately linked to domestic roles, while male names were associated with leadership and executive careers. UNESCO's @women4EthicalAI initiative, led by the visionary and inspiring Gabriela Ramos and Dr. Alessandra Sala, is fighting this pattern by developing frameworks for non-discriminatory AI and pushing for gender equity in technology leadership. Their work extends the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, a powerful global standard centering human rights in AI governance. Today's decision is whether AI will transform our world into one that replicates today's inequities or helps us build something better. Examine your AI teams and processes today. Where are the gaps in representation affecting your outcomes? Document these blind spots, set measurable inclusion targets, and build accountability systems that outlast good intentions. The technology we create reflects who creates it - and gives us a path to a better world. #InternationalWomensDay #AI #GenderBias #EthicalAI #WomenInAI #UNESCO #ArtificialIntelligence The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Mariagrazia Squicciarini Miriam Vogel Vivian Schiller Karen Gill Mary Rodriguez, MBA Erika Quada Mathilde Barge Gwen Hotaling Yolanda Botti-Lodovico

When I scroll through AI leadership profiles, I see a pattern that is so predictable that it's almost algorithmic itself - men, men, and more men. In a field shaping humanity's future, only 12% of AI researchers globally are women. This isn't just a diversity issue; it's a design flaw in our digital future. The stakes couldn't be higher. With just 11 women among 136 founding team members of major AI companies valued over $500M, we're allowing critical technologies to develop with massive blind spots. Meanwhile, India's 10M+ tech workforce faces transformation, with AI potentially replacing up to 50% of voice-based roles and 30% of IT service positions. This disruption can either entrench existing inequalities or create new pathways for inclusion. The choice isn't automatic - it depends entirely on who designs these systems and for whom they're designed. At Kalaari Capital, we view this imbalance as both a moral concern and an untapped opportunity. Our investment thesis increasingly focuses on founders building inclusive AI applications that bridge India's stark digital divides rather than widening them. India stands at a pivotal moment, ranked 4th globally for AI preparedness. Our homegrown innovations like Sarvam 1 demonstrate our technical capabilities. Now we must demonstrate our commitment to ensuring women help architect our AI future, not just adapt to it. If you're a woman building in AI, I would love to hear from you. If you're an investor or tech leader there is a need to build AI that is ethical and inclusive for all of humanity. #AI #Technology #Leadership

"This report developed by UNESCO and in collaboration with the Women for Ethical AI (W4EAI) platform, is based on and inspired by the gender chapter of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. This concrete commitment, adopted by 194 Member States, is the first and only recommendation to incorporate provisions to advance gender equality within the AI ecosystem. The primary motivation for this study lies in the realization that, despite progress in technology and AI, women remain significantly underrepresented in its development and leadership, particularly in the field of AI. For instance, currently, women reportedly make up only 29% of researchers in the field of science and development (R&D),1 while this drops to 12% in specific AI research positions.2 Additionally, only 16% of the faculty in universities conducting AI research are women, reflecting a significant lack of diversity in academic and research spaces.3 Moreover, only 30% of professionals in the AI sector are women,4 and the gender gap increases further in leadership roles, with only 18% of in C-Suite positions at AI startups being held by women.5 Another crucial finding of the study is the lack of inclusion of gender perspectives in regulatory frameworks and AI-related policies. Of the 138 countries assessed by the Global Index for Responsible AI, only 24 have frameworks that mention gender aspects, and of these, only 18 make any significant reference to gender issues in relation to AI. Even in these cases, mentions of gender equality are often superficial and do not include concrete plans or resources to address existing inequalities. The study also reveals a concerning lack of genderdisaggregated data in the fields of technology and AI, which hinders accurate measurement of progress and persistent inequalities. It highlights that in many countries, statistics on female participation are based on general STEM or ICT data, which may mask broader disparities in specific fields like AI. For example, there is a reported 44% gender gap in software development roles,6 in contrast to a 15% gap in general ICT professions.7 Furthermore, the report identifies significant risks for women due to bias in, and misuse of, AI systems. Recruitment algorithms, for instance, have shown a tendency to favor male candidates. Additionally, voice and facial recognition systems perform poorly when dealing with female voices and faces, increasing the risk of exclusion and discrimination in accessing services and technologies. Women are also disproportionately likely to be the victims of AI-enabled online harassment. The document also highlights the intersectionality of these issues, pointing out that women with additional marginalized identities (such as race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or disability) face even greater barriers to accessing and participating in the AI field."

As we close 2024, what is the state of women in AI? While various recent market research, such as from Deloitte and Bloomberg, reports that only 26% of women in the US and 22% globally are part of the Data and AI workforce, with under 14% in leadership positions, there are some bright points -  ❇️ There was an increase of women in AI by 5% in the last few years ❇️ There was an increase of over 10% in women in AI leadership in the last 5 years In 2024, we saw a significant increase in women entering the innovation arena with AI. There are multiple contributors to this factor, one of them being enabled by the massive developments in Generative AI. As Generative AI is both new and based on natural language and does not necessarily require significant technical background to enter, it opened up opportunities for many newcomers to the AI field. The adoption rates of Generative AI by women in business, especially in Tech, Marketing, and Sales, were significant. There is also an increasing number of women in Tech with a strong technical background. While the percentages of women in Tech and AI are increasing slower than we would have wanted to see, the visionary leadership of some notable women shaped the AI landscape in recent years. There were a few bright stars, and I want to mention two, one in hardware and one in software, who significantly shaped the future of AI in 2024. ⭐ The first is Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), recently named CEO of the year 2024 by the Times Magazine! Lisa Su stands out as a pivotal persona for the future of AI. Under her leadership, AMD achieved notable growth and surpassed its competitors in the AI accelerator market. Most notably, she led AMD to release the fastest AI accelerator chip designed for training and operating large language models (LLMs), outperforming giant competitors such as Nvidia. ⭐ The second important figure of AI that I want to celebrate here is Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at OpenAI  She led the development of GPT-4o this year, the multimodal AI model that revolutionized ChatGPT's capabilities, integrating audio, images, and text in its responses and reasoning.  While Sam Altman often dominates the headlines and Mira Murati recently left OpenAI, it is essential to remember that she was the CTO leading the significant developments that created the current AI hype and revolutionized our perception of AI in 2022 - 2024. All this research also reminds us that diverse teams and diverse leadership are key to building non-biased and ethical AI. Why does gender diversity matter? Deloitte: "Today, evidence is reinforcing that gender diversity, particularly among leadership positions, drives increased productivity, profitability, and market value for organizations across industries." The pics are from a recent Open Problems for AI Summit at the MOS Boston, where many inspiring women (and men) talked about AI research, ethical aspects, & implementation.

AI is Shaping the Future—Will Women Be Left Behind? I just returned from the Philippines, where 51% of Coursera learners are women—one of the only country where women outnumber men on our platform. An inspiring milestone! But here’s the challenge: 📉 Globally, women are being left behind in AI. A Harvard Business School study found that women are: Less likely to learn AI Less likely to use AI tools Less likely to build AI technologies If we don’t act now, GenAI will widen the gender gap instead of closing it. That’s why we partnered with AI experts like Jules White, Merve Hickok, and Barbara Oakley to create a new playbook: “Closing the Gender Gap in GenAI Skills.” . Women struggle to find time for AI learning → Flexible, AI-powered learning increases completion rates. . Women don’t see AI’s relevance → Real-world applications (healthcare, business, education) drive engagement. . Women lack confidence to advance → Mentorship and structured career paths are key. Download the playbook to access the full insights and solutions: 🔗 Closing the Gender Gap in GenAI Skills : https://lnkd.in/gQ4_j8sU 📸 (Posting this alongside a photo of the incredible women I work with—because representation matters!) How can we make AI learning more inclusive? Let’s discuss in the comments. #GenAI #WomenInAI #DiversityInTech #FutureOfWork

Representation of Women in AI Globally Despite the exponential growth of artificial intelligence, women remain deeply underrepresented across nearly every domain of AI from research and academic leadership to authorship, software development, and the C-suite. According to UNESCO, only: 12% of AI researchers are women 16% of AI academic faculty are women 6% of AI software developers are women 18% of AI startup C-suite leaders are women These numbers are a wakeup call. In my opinion, AI is the most feminine technology we have created as humans. We 'input' data and the 'output' is creation. Just as women give birth, this is what we do with AI models. By choosing to be blind to funding, supporting, and highlighting women in AI, we are making a decision to have one of the most impactful technologies of our time fail to live into the infinite number of benefits it could have in many areas such as women's health. At The Pause Technologies Inc. , we are building with intention and will soon have an announcement that showcases our tireless commitment to transforming how AI is used to improve women's health outcomes. If you are an investor, advisor, founder, or board member, the data is clear: backing women-led AI companies is not just a moral imperative, it is a smart strategic decision. Diverse teams outperform. Inclusive leadership drives more sustainable innovation. Call to Action If You So Choose to Join This Movement: ✅ Invest in women-led AI companies. ✅ Hire, mentor, and promote women in tech. ✅ Choose to buy from and partner with companies that prioritize representation at every level. Change begins with decisive action and it starts with each of us. #WomenInAI #InclusiveInnovation #Leadership #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #SusanSly #ThePauseAI #WomenSupportingWomen #WomenInTechnology

I often hear people say that "AI will not replace humans; but those that use AI will." While that might seem comforting in some ways, deep down, we must ask: Who are those humans that can use AI, or have access to the technology then? As it turns out, opportunities are not quite evenly distributed after all. Consider this: While AI advances accelerate, women remain significantly underrepresented in the talent pool that's driving the transformation, comprising less than one-third of the STEM workforce and merely 12.2% of the STEM C-suite roles. Imagine a future world where AI augmentation benefits equally across genders. How might our innovation ecosystem flourish with truly diverse talent pools that operate at their fullest potential? The question isn't whether we can afford to prioritize gender parity in AI — it's whether we can afford not to. #AI #FutureOfWork #BankingOnAI #GenderEquity