Report on Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The AI Gender Gap as a Barrier to Sustainable Development

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) presents significant challenges to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality). A pronounced gender gap exists within the AI sector, where women are underrepresented in development roles and misrepresented in training data. This disparity threatens to reverse progress on gender equality and creates barriers to achieving SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The exclusion of women from the design and governance of AI risks entrenching biases and widening economic and social divides.

Key Findings on Gender Disparities in the AI Sector

• Disproportionate Job Vulnerability: A report by the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Poland’s NASK found that in high-income countries, nearly 10% of female-dominated positions could be replaced by AI, compared to just 3.5% for men. This directly threatens progress towards SDG 8 by jeopardizing decent work and economic security for women.
• Systemic Algorithmic Bias: A UN Women analysis of 133 AI systems revealed that nearly half exhibited gender bias. Such biases perpetuate harmful stereotypes and undermine efforts to achieve SDG 5 by limiting women’s opportunities and reinforcing traditional gender roles.
• Lack of Representation in Development: The majority of AI engineers are men, resulting in a male-dominated influence on the design of AI systems. This lack of diversity hinders the creation of inclusive and equitable technology, a key component of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Strategic Interventions to Promote Inclusive AI and Achieve SDGs

In response to these challenges, several initiatives have been launched to align AI development with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These programs focus on education, empowerment, and inclusive policy-making.

1. UN Women’s AI School: This online program directly addresses SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 by providing women in the Asia-Pacific region with critical AI literacy. The curriculum is designed to empower entrepreneurs, academics, and activists to leverage AI for social change, advocacy, and decision-making, ensuring women are not left behind in the technological transition.
2. European Commission’s Girls Go Circular Programme: Launched in 2020, this initiative aims to equip 50,000 schoolgirls with digital and leadership skills. By investing in the next generation of female leaders, the program supports SDG 4 and builds a pipeline of diverse talent for the future technology workforce.

Recommendations for an Equitable AI Future

To mitigate the risks AI poses to gender equality and ensure its development contributes positively to the SDGs, a multi-stakeholder approach is required.

• Enhance AI Literacy: Promoting widespread AI literacy for women and girls is a prerequisite for achieving SDG 4 and SDG 5. Understanding AI models, strengths, and risks is essential for equitable participation in the digital economy.
• Shape Inclusive Strategies: Governments, employers, and workers’ organisations must collaborate to develop policies that protect job quality and productivity in sectors vulnerable to automation, in line with the principles of SDG 8.
• Foster Corporate Accountability: Private sector companies have a critical role in closing the AI gender gap. They must actively work to eliminate bias from their systems and ensure diverse representation in their design and development teams, contributing to inclusive innovation as outlined in SDG 9.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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

1. SDG 4: Quality Education – The article discusses initiatives aimed at providing women and girls with digital and AI-related skills.
2. SDG 5: Gender Equality – The core theme of the article is the gender gap in the field of artificial intelligence, including underrepresentation, bias, and job displacement risks for women.
3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The article highlights the threat AI poses to jobs, particularly those dominated by women, and the need to prepare for a shifting job market.
4. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The discussion revolves around the design and development of AI technology, a key area of modern innovation, and the lack of female participation in this sector.

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

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
     
     Explanation: The article directly addresses this target through its description of the UN Women’s “AI School” and the European Commission’s “Girls Go Circular programme.” These initiatives are designed to equip women and girls with “AI literacy,” “digital and leadership skills,” and prepare them for a “shifting job market.”

2. 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.
     
     Explanation: The article points to a failure to meet this target in the AI sector, stating that “even fewer [women] are involved in designing them” and that “most AI engineers are men.” The goal of the AI School to help “feminist leaders” and other professionals use AI for “decision-making” is a direct effort to address this gap.
   • Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.
     
     Explanation: The UN Women’s “AI School” is a clear example of this target in action. It is an “online programme” that uses information technology to teach women about AI, an enabling technology, with the explicit goal of ensuring “women and girls are not left behind” and can use AI for “social change, advocacy, and decision-making.”

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • 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.
     
     Explanation: The article highlights a significant threat to this target, citing a report that “AI could replace just under 10 per cent of female-dominated positions in high-income countries, compared to the 3.5 per cent it could replace for men.” This disproportionate risk of job loss for women undermines the goal of full and productive employment for all.

4. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors… including… encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers.
     
     Explanation: The article discusses the composition of the workforce in the innovative field of AI. It notes a severe gender imbalance, with the observation that “most AI engineers are men” and “women and girls are almost invisible in this sector.” This points to a need to increase the number and diversity of research and development workers in this critical industry.

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

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill.
     
     Explanation: The article implies this indicator by emphasizing the need for women to become “AI literate” and learn skills like “prompt engineering.” The “Girls Go Circular programme,” which aims to give “50,000 schoolgirls digital and leadership skills,” provides a quantifiable measure related to this indicator.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Indicator 5.5.2: Proportion of women in managerial positions.
     
     Explanation: This indicator is implied when the article states that very few women are “involved in designing” AI systems and that “most AI engineers are men.” A low proportion of women in design and engineering roles, which are often senior or leadership positions in tech, reflects a lack of progress on this indicator within the AI industry.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate, by sex.
     
     Explanation: The article directly provides data that can be used as a predictive measure for this indicator. The finding that AI could replace nearly “10 per cent of female-dominated positions” versus “3.5 per cent” for men suggests a future increase in the unemployment rate for women relative to men due to technological disruption.

4. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Indicator 9.5.2: Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants.
     
     Explanation: The article implies a gender-disaggregated version of this indicator. The statement that “women and girls are almost invisible in this sector” and “most AI engineers are men” points to a significant disparity in the proportion of male versus female researchers and developers in the AI field.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: euronews.com