If we’re to build a safer, fairer tomorrow, we need more women-led AI products
AI is the most powerful technology ever created. It will change the world as we know it. Whether that’s for better or worse is up to us.
If we want this momentous change to be positive, we need to ensure diversity and inclusion in every element of AI – from the data sets it’s fed to who is building AI products. As a co-founder of Australia’s first AI-powered personal assistant app for busy families, I feel buoyed by the opportunity AI presents for liberating women of traditional, unpaid, family duties and mental labour.
AI can be biased. More creators will help change that.
AI generated image from the prompt “Tech Bro”
Right now, many AI products have a culturally-biased world view. In fact, Google acknowledged the bias problem all the way back in 2018 when it found that according to AI, white dress = bride, sari from an Indian ceremony = not a bride. Numerous other early examples – like Amazon’s automated recruitment system (which learned how to judge someone’s suitability for a role by looking at the resumes from previous candidates – and developed a bias toward male candidates in the process) and The Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) which predicted the likelihood that US criminals would re-offend (and mistakenly classified Black defendants as higher risk) – prove just how easy it is for dangerous bias to seep into AI and our lives.
It’s clear we need diversity in data sets. It’s also startlingly clear that we need more representative creators in an AI economy currently dominated by powerful, wealthy (and mostly, white) men. Because without fresh perspectives and influence, we’ll never correct western-dominance or the gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms. Norms which disadvantage women, and have adverse effects for men, too. AI presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to course-correct stereotypes and restore equality.
Women’s capacity for selflessness is both our greatest strength and our biggest downfall
AI generated image from the prompt “Caring and supportive mothers”
By nature, women are wired for nurture. That means we’re quick to put other people's needs before our own. It’s what makes women great leaders, business people, friends, and mums.
When it comes to having kids, the instinct to put our needs last is necessary – because babies need immediate care and attention to survive. This nurturing instinct can be both our greatest strength and our biggest downfall. Our deep capacity for empathy – paired with the fact many of us have been forced to carry invisible burdens – means we instinctively design experiences, products, and tech platforms that make people feel seen, safe, and supported. In short, our ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes makes us more likely to create products people need.
But this selflessness can come with a price tag, especially for new mothers. Research shows that after having a baby, women pick up an extra 21 hours a week in unpaid labour*. (Not to mention the fact so many women miss out on superannuation while they’re on maternity leave). Simply put? It’s not good enough. The good news? AI can help shift the balance back, once and for all.
AI is a game-changing tool for families that everyone can get behind
For me, AI represents a revolutionary tool that, when developed with inclusivity and care at its heart, has the ability to create genuine equality between parents. That means happier, healthier parents with more time and energy to spend with their families – and it’s the reason I’m here, building Goldee.
*Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (Hilda) survey, 2021
