The Prime Minister highlighted how AI helps create new opportunities for women while having the potential to ease their lives. Also, he said that AI is transforming various sectors in India, offering significant opportunities for women’s empowerment. So let us discuss more in detail how the role of AI in the empowerment of women.
What does the data say?
(a) India’s AI skill penetration rate for women stands at 1.7, surpassing global averages. This suggests a growing, though still limited, engagement of women in AI-related skills.
(b) Moreover, approximately 80% of Indian professionals have adopted generative AI technologies. Notably, 90% of women acknowledge the importance of generative AI for career advancement, though only 35% feel adequately prepared to utilize it effectively.
How will AI Empower Women?
1. Education and Skill Development:
- Personalized Learning: AI-powered platforms can offer personalized learning experiences, allowing women, especially in rural areas, to access quality education and vocational training tailored to their learning pace and style.
- Online Courses and E-Learning: AI is being used to deliver online education and skill-building programs, therefore, helping women gain digital literacy and technical skills that are increasingly in demand.
- Mentorship and Career Guidance: AI-driven mentorship platforms can connect women with mentors, offer career advice, and guide them in breaking through gender-based barriers in various industries.
2. Healthcare Access:
- AI in Healthcare: AI tools help provide women with better access to healthcare, including reproductive health and maternal care. AI-driven diagnostics and telemedicine services help women in remote areas access healthcare advice and services.
- Health Monitoring: AI-enabled apps and devices can track health metrics and offer customized advice, hence helping women monitor their well-being, manage chronic conditions, or get early warnings for potential health issues.
3. Economic Empowerment:
- Entrepreneurship Support: AI platforms offer women entrepreneurs business analytics, customer insights, and personalized recommendations, helping them run successful businesses. AI also helps identify market trends, allowing women entrepreneurs to access untapped markets.
- Job Creation in Tech and Data Fields: As the demand for AI-related jobs increases, women are gaining opportunities in particular fields like data science, AI programming, and machine learning, which were traditionally male-dominated.
- Financial Inclusion: AI is transforming financial services, offering women in rural areas access to digital banking, mobile payment platforms, and microfinance solutions, altogether helping them achieve financial independence.
4. Safety and Security:
- AI-Powered Security Solutions: AI-based apps help improve women’s safety by providing real-time location tracking, emergency alerts, and access to helplines. Some apps use AI to detect and respond to risky situations, providing immediate assistance.
- Legal Assistance: AI tools can help women navigate legal systems, offering support with documentation, advice, and even understanding their rights, making it easier for women to access justice.
5. Social and Cultural Change:
- Awareness Campaigns: AI-powered data analytics and social media tools are used to spread awareness about gender equality, women’s rights, and social issues affecting women. AI can target specific audiences, making campaigns more effective.
- Challenging Gender Bias: AI can help challenge and reduce gender bias in sectors like recruitment, education, and healthcare by offering data-driven insights to ensure fairer decision-making processes.
6. Workplace Equality:
- AI in Recruitment: AI tools are helping ensure that hiring processes are more equitable by eliminating bias in candidate selection, making it easier for women to access job opportunities on an equal footing.
- Remote Work Opportunities: AI is facilitating remote work, allowing women, to engage in the workforce without migration.
7. Bridging the Gender Gap in Technology:
- Encouraging Women in STEM: AI is helping in engaging young girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through interactive learning platforms and AI-driven games, which helps cultivate an interest in technology and AI among girls.
- Creating Role Models: AI platforms help women gain visibility by promoting successful women in AI, technology, and entrepreneurship. This inspires the next generation to pursue careers in these fields.
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Challenges for Women in AI
- Gender Gap: Women hold only 30% of AI roles globally (Global Gender Gap Report, 2023).
- Bias in Design: With women in less than one-third of tech jobs, AI may not fully address their needs (PwC).
- Perception Gap: 24% of women don’t see AI impacting their jobs, compared to 20% of men (PwC).
- Privacy Risks: AI’s data use raises concerns (e.g., a 2021 UK study found women’s health apps leaking sensitive data).
Steps to be taken
Promote Gender-Inclusive AI Education and Skill Development
- Expand Access to AI Education: Provide AI and technology-related education at all levels, particularly in rural and underserved areas. For instance – Online learning platforms (like SWAYAM and NPTEL) offer free AI and tech courses.
Address Gender Bias in AI Algorithms
- Ensure Ethical AI Development: AI systems should be designed to be free from gender bias. This can be done by-Bias audits for AI systems to identify and eliminate gender biases in the algorithms. Also, promoting diversity in AI teams by ensuring more women are involved in the design, development, and testing of AI solutions
Increase Female Representation in AI Workforce
- Encourage Women in AI Careers: Governments and tech companies should create targeted programs to increase the participation of women in AI-related professions by offering mentorship and networking opportunities. And, providing flexible work environments to accommodate women with caregiving responsibilities.
Expand Digital Infrastructure and Access
- Improve Internet Connectivity: Enhance internet access in rural areas, as access to digital tools is critical for women to benefit from AI. For instance, Government schemes like BharatNet should prioritize reaching underserved women in rural and remote areas.
Promote Collaboration and Partnerships
- Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: Foster partnerships between the government, private sector, educational institutions, and NGOs to create holistic solutions.
- International Cooperation: India can collaborate with international organizations to exchange knowledge and best practices for women’s empowerment through AI. It will create a global network of support and resources for women in AI.
Conclusion
Empowering women in India through AI requires comprehensive action across education, policy, infrastructure, and societal engagement. By addressing barriers such as access to education, gender bias in AI systems, and lesser female representation in tech fields, India can harness the power of AI to drive gender equality and improve the lives of women. Collaborative efforts, strong policies, as well as a commitment to inclusivity are essential for ensuring that AI serves as a tool for social change and empowerment.