Last year, the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) convened global stakeholders to examine the progress made on gender equality through the lens of innovation, technology and digital education. Among the commission’s many insightful conclusions was its recognition of the promises and perils of artificial intelligence.
Although AI has vast potential to transform how employment, public services and education benefit women and girls, without equal access to technology — and a role in shaping it — AI will likely perpetuate existing biases, discrimination and inequality.
Artificial intelligence, a term coined in 1955, is not new. But the past few years have seen its technologies leap to the forefront of our vernacular. From use in mobile apps and cameras, to career tools, cars and autonomous weapons, there is a seemingly insatiable appetite for, and growing anxiety about, AI.