I remember having passionate conversations with my husband about artificial intelligence (AI). A progressive adopter of new technologies, he couldn’t understand my initial resistance to AI. I, as a strong believer in human creativity and intellect, and a staunch feminist at that, insisted on waging a months-long intellectual opposition to artificial intelligence (AI). What an insult to human intelligence! Yet, while Dear Hubby was saving hours leveraging AI to assist him with unending emails and administrative tasks, here I was spending hours trying to get through a half-a-day’s emails. Fast-forward a few months later, AI is reshaping women’s careers and has become my favorite assistant in the meantime…
AI AS A DISRUPTOR OF WOMEN’S CAREERS
The fact is, AI is poised to disrupt the world of work as we’ve known it. And the disruption may affect more women than men… A 2022 joint report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) confirms AI technologies will not only affect women’s career opportunities, but also their professional treatment and status.
Actually, recent research by the University of North Carolina estimates 80% of women in the U.S. workforce are in professional occupations highly threatened by AI automation. The most AI-exposed occupations with the highest percentages of womeninclude account and bill collectors, payroll clerks, executive secretaries, typists and word processors, as well as bookkeepers, auditing and accounting clerks. In general, AI mostly impact administration, healthcare, education and social services, all sectors with higher proportions of women. More recently, the 2023 World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report predicts a 27% drop in jobs such as cashiers, administrators, payroll clerks and secretaries.
It wouldn’t be the first time that technology negatively impacted women’s careers. In 2018, Amazon’s experimental AI recruiting algorithm was found to discriminate against women. In general, there is an existing gender bias in AI systems reflecting the biases present in society. This is even more concerning considering women are less likely to experiment with new technology at work than their male counterparts. Coupled with the fact that women tend to underestimate their skills and are less confident in their ability to transfer said skills to new roles, this can be even more worrying.
YET, AI CAN ALSO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN…
Yet, despite posing undeniable threats to women’s careers, AI can also provide opportunities for women. As society seeks ways to counteract extreme automation, feminine attributes such as collaboration, compassion and empathy are more than ever relevant and needed in the workplace. While unfortunately reinforcing gender bias, AI also has the reverse potential to identify and address gender inequalities. By enabling remote work and flexible scheduling, it has offered mothers greater flexibility and protecting Black and minority women for micro-aggressions at work.
In addition, AI can also take over some of the more tedious and less productive “office housework” tasks, largely assigned to women. This in turn will allow women to devote more time to value-adding and visible responsibilities, such as leadership and networking-related functions. As the AI-driven automation can hep reduce workloads and increase efficiency, it allows working women and moms to reclaim some of their time while still being employed. This is also valid for women entrepreneurs, who can leverage AI to save precious time and boost their business growth.
HOW TO LEVERAGE THE OPPORTUNITY AND FIGHT THE THREAT OF AI
In this sense, while AI is certainly a threat for women, it also has the potential to level the professional playing field for women. But how can women effectively prepare to leverage the advantages of AI and reduce the drawbacks? Here are some suggestions to leverage the opportunity and fight the threat of AI:
Start with your mindset
Being so skeptical about AI at first, I could not initially see it for the tool that it is. Overwhelmed by the many AI biases against women, and concerned that it would take so many jobs away from actual people, I developed a built-in mindset block. It wasn’t until I learned to shift my mindset that I began to truly realize its potential beyond its visible threats. Once I understood AI can never replicate the unique human and feminine spirit, emotions and attributes such as creativity, empathy, or critical thinking, I began seeing it as less of a threat.
Do you, like I did, have built-in mindset blocks against AI? How do you approach it as a new and evolving technology with its pros and cons? Understanding your own mindset about AI can help you shift from seeing it as a threat to seeing it as a tool that can be leveraged for the benefit of people.
Explore AI literacy
Becoming AI-literate is no longer an option, especially as a woman at work. This means fighting the initial resistance to stick to old habits, routines and processes, and adapt to new technologies. I know all too well the feeling of not wanting to start all over again learning a new disciple or adopting new tools.
From courses to applications such as Grammarly, ChaptGPT, or Claude, there is a plethora of available tools to begin your AI literacy journey. Pick the tools that are most suited to your personality, schedule and appetite to grow in learning and using AI.
Advocate for gender equity in AI
According to the Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership, about 44% of AI systems exhibit gender bias. This is why advocating for gender equity in AI is crucial. This means incorporating more gender perspectives, decision-making and data to the AI industry. As it stands, only 29% of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers are women. It also means encouraging, working in and participating in global AI governance to address the risks and challenges of AI, especially for women.
Wherever you are in your career and life, by being more aware of these challenges, you can harness opportunities to leverage, critique and improve the technology around you. From participating in STEM fields yourself, to becoming more AI literate, and offering your own perspective, you have the power to change things.
All in all, AI certainly presents many challenges and opportunities for women. As such, it’s reshaping women’s careers and lives in monumental and ever-evolving ways. Shifting your mindset about it, developing AI literacy and advocating for AI gender equality are all strategies women can use to increase the related opportunities and lessen the negative aspects of it.
Is AI more of an opportunity or threat in your career, and how are you leveraging it?
The Corporate Sis.
