The most radical act of feminism? Using AI – The Times

Report on the Gender Gap in Generative AI Adoption and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A significant gender gap has emerged in the adoption and utilization of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). This disparity poses a direct threat to the progress of several key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Failure to address this gap risks exacerbating existing economic inequalities and creating new digital barriers for women, undermining global efforts for inclusive and sustainable development.

Analysis of the Generative AI Gender Gap

Recent studies consistently indicate a disparity in the use of generative AI tools between men and women. This gap is not isolated to specific regions or sectors but appears to be a widespread phenomenon.

• Data from a meta-analysis of 18 studies, covering over 140,000 individuals, found that women are approximately 20% less likely than men to use generative AI.
• This trend holds across nearly all geographical regions, economic sectors, and occupational categories.
• Research conducted by Deloitte in the UK highlighted this disparity, revealing that 43% of men used generative AI compared to only 28% of women.

Impact on SDG 5: Gender Equality

The gender gap in AI adoption directly contravenes the objectives of SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The repercussions are multifaceted and threaten to reverse progress in female economic empowerment.

• Economic Disempowerment: As AI tools become integral to productivity, the lower adoption rate among women threatens to widen the gender pay gap and limit their participation in the future economy.
• Increased Vulnerability in the Labor Market: Women are disproportionately represented in roles with a high potential for AI-driven automation. A United Nations International Labour Organisation report concluded that 9.6% of jobs traditionally held by women are susceptible to transformation by AI, compared to just 3.5% of jobs held by men. This places women at a higher risk of job displacement.
• Creation of New Digital Barriers: The gap represents a new digital divide that could lock women out of future power structures and wealth creation, undermining the goal of using technology to empower women.

Implications for SDG 8 (Decent Work) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

The disparity in AI usage has profound implications for the labor market and broader societal equality, challenging the principles of SDG 8 and SDG 10.

• Threat to Decent Work: In a capitalist framework where efficiency is linked to productivity and compensation, non-engagement with powerful productivity tools like AI jeopardizes women’s job security and their access to decent work and economic growth.
• Exacerbation of Inequality: The productivity advantages gained by AI users will likely translate into higher earnings, further widening income and wealth inequalities between genders and working against the core mission of SDG 10.
• Risk of Systemic Exclusion: Tech executives warn that if women do not engage with and lead in the AI age, the resulting algorithms and platforms will systematically exclude them from economic power, making their financial security increasingly fragile.

Contributing Factors and Recommended Interventions

Addressing the AI gender gap requires a multi-stakeholder approach that acknowledges underlying social factors and places responsibility on technology creators and employers to foster an inclusive environment.

1. Acknowledge and Mitigate Risk Aversion: Social conditioning has often made women more risk-averse, particularly in professional settings where the consequences of failure can be more severe. The adoption of new technology is perceived as a risk. Efforts must be made to de-risk AI adoption through training, support, and creating safe environments for experimentation.
2. Promote Corporate Responsibility for Inclusive Technology (SDG 9): The onus cannot be solely on women. In line with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), technology companies must design and deploy AI in a way that is accessible, intuitive, and non-intimidating. AI must be integrated as a necessary and unremarkable workplace tool, not a high-risk venture.
3. Frame AI Proficiency as Essential for Empowerment: Using AI must be reframed not merely as a technological choice but as a critical act for securing one’s place in the future economy. For feminism and the broader goal of gender equality, dismantling this new digital barrier is essential for future progress.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article’s central theme is the “gen-AI gender gap,” focusing on the disparity between men and women in the adoption and use of artificial intelligence. It discusses how this gap can exacerbate existing economic inequalities, threaten women’s economic security, and lock them out of future power and wealth, directly addressing the goal of achieving gender equality.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article connects AI usage directly to productivity, efficiency, and economic outcomes in the labor market. It highlights the threat AI poses to jobs predominantly held by women (e.g., administrative roles) and discusses how the gender gap in AI adoption could impact women’s employment and economic participation, which is a core concern of SDG 8.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The entire discussion revolves around generative AI, a key technological innovation. The article explores the societal and economic repercussions of unequal adoption of this new technology, touching upon the need for inclusive access to and utilization of technological advancements to prevent the creation of a “digital barrier” for women.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  By focusing on the gender gap in AI usage, the article directly addresses the issue of inequality between different groups within society. It argues that this technological divide could widen economic disparities between men and women, undermining the goal of promoting social and economic inclusion for all.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):

   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. The article argues that if women do not lead or participate in the AI age, they will be locked out of “power and wealth for ever,” directly linking AI adoption to future economic participation and leadership.
   • Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women. The article explicitly frames the use of AI by women as a “radical feminist act” and a way to “dismantling the digital barrier,” which aligns perfectly with using technology for women’s empowerment.
   • Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work. The article mentions that women “still pick up the bulk of unpaid labour — think childcare, care of the elderly, cooking and other housework,” which contributes to them being in lower-paying jobs that are more vulnerable to AI disruption.

2. Under SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth):

   • Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation. The article describes generative AI as a “powerful productivity tool” that is “radically enhancing how efficiently we’re able to get things done.” The gender gap in its use implies an unequal distribution of these productivity gains.
   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article warns that women’s jobs are more susceptible to being “wiped out by AI,” threatening their employment and economic security, which runs counter to the goal of full and productive employment for all.

3. Under SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure):

   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries… encouraging innovation. The article discusses the rapid rise and adoption of AI, a key technological innovation. The concern is that the benefits of this upgraded technological capability are not being shared equally, particularly by women.

4. Under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities):

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… sex. The article’s focus on the “gen-AI gender gap” and the risk of women’s economic security becoming “extremely fragile” is a direct call to address a new form of inequality that could hinder the economic inclusion of women.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several specific and implied indicators:

• Percentage of women and men using generative AI: The article provides concrete data points that serve as direct indicators. It states, “women are about 20 per cent less likely than men to use generative AI” and cites a Deloitte study where “28 per cent of women in the UK said that they used generative AI compared with 43 per cent of men.” This directly measures the technology adoption gap relevant to SDG 5.b.
• Proportion of jobs transformed or made redundant by AI, disaggregated by sex: The article references a UN International Labour Organisation report concluding that “9.6 per cent of jobs traditionally done by women were set to be transformed by AI, compared with only 3.5 per cent of those mostly done by men.” This is a clear indicator for measuring the differential impact of AI on employment under SDG 8.5.
• Time spent on unpaid domestic and care work: Although no specific numbers are given, the article’s statement that “women, in most countries, still pick up the bulk of unpaid labour” implies that the proportion of time spent on this work is a relevant indicator for understanding the underlying causes of women’s economic vulnerability, connecting to SDG 5.4.
• Women’s economic security and wealth: The article implies this as an indicator through the quote from Shubhi Rao, who foresees a scenario where “women’s economic security becomes extremely fragile” and they are locked out of “power and wealth.” Progress could be measured by tracking changes in the gender pay gap and the gender wealth gap in the age of AI.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thetimes.com