Panacea: Closing the gender gap in the era of generative AI

The gender representation gap did not happen overnight. There was no single event that created the current inequality. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that there will be no single solution. There is no silver bullet. This is a puzzle. All the pieces must come together to ensure women have equality in the workplace and to leverage the potential of generative AI.

My colleague Phaedra Boinodiris recently wrote, “The importance of diversity in AI is not opinion, it’s math.” Referring to the diversity prediction theorem, she showed how the crowd error is small when the diversity of the group is large. Unfortunately, according to 2023 IBM Institute for Business Value Women’s Leadership Research, women have:

• 12% of top management and board positions
• 14% of Senior Vice President positions
• 16% of VP or Director positions
• 19% of senior management positions

Even if we increase the proportion of top executives every year, we do not fill the leadership pipeline evenly. Lack of pipeline in the leadership funnel is a huge problem and a big reason for the growing gap. The gap will never close unless we start doing things differently.

This year’s report from the IBM Institute for Business Value Creating the future with AI: Women can take the lead, beautifully identifies which areas are suited to address the inequalities we experience: leadership, alliances, and risk-taking. I believe the stories of other female leaders included in this report will inspire women in the workplace to tackle the challenges and opportunities presented by AI and address current workplace dynamics. I know they inspire me.

Get the report: “Characterizing the Future with AI: Women Can Lead”

Why women can and should lead generative AI

Addressing gender inequality and achieving real change requires an intentional and sustained drumbeat from both women and men. It has to be a constant commitment. And I think technologies like generative AI can help us do that.

We are in the early stages of where generative AI will make a real difference. Areas where generative AI is used is There are now traditionally more women in areas that impact business, such as marketing, HR, and customer service. additionally, skillset and property The traits needed to overcome chaos and implement generative AI (empathy, open communication, transparency, strategic vision) are traits that women are stereotypically known to be stronger at. Unfortunately, these traits are often underestimated in the workplace, even though women are valued more often.

Are you saying we’re playing with stereotypes? not quite. Those characteristics are valuable strengths that we can rely on. Our empathy, listening, communication skills, and strategic thinking are positive traits that the world needs.

When you put these things together, there is a tremendous opportunity for women to take things to the next level. Now is the time to boldly take that risk.

What holds women back?

There is an opportunity to close the gender gap, so why isn’t it happening? Why are women more hesitant than men when it comes to adopting AI?

In part, this is due to a lack of expressiveness. 73% of business leaders believe that having more women in leadership is important to mitigating gender bias in AI, yet only 33% currently have women responsible for making decisions about AI strategy.(1 ) Then there are concerns about job security. According to the report, women claim to be more concerned about being replaced by AI than men (46% vs. 37%), and 59% of women claim they are waiting for company policies to tell them how and where to adopt AI. Generative AI.

There is no single barrier and there is no single solution. But it’s clear to me that there are three big distractions. inconsistent leadership strategy, women as a minority (Also known as lack of diversity) lack of male allies. Unfortunately, these factors stimulate each other and contribute to a vicious cycle that widens the gender gap.

What will help you break the vicious cycle?

Forget gender and AI for a moment. Consider a situation where you are in the minority. It’s harder to speak up, be heard, and feel valued. It is difficult for a minority to stand up and take risks. For women in business, especially in technology, we are often the minority. As we start to have more women around us, it will become easier and safer to share our perspectives.

How can we get more women into the room? Let’s start with intentional leadership. Not only does it hire more qualified women, it also creates attractive jobs and roles for women. When planning a meeting, assembling a panel of speakers, or brainstorming a project, ask yourself these questions: Are women equally represented in boardrooms? Are we elevating women’s voices and ideas as much as men’s?

It may be an unpopular belief, but yes, we need our male colleagues to help close this gap. This applies to those who are leaders, but it also applies to those who can be allies. They can promote us, give us a chance to speak, and help ensure that our voices are heard. For women, if they don’t have a male colleague, they need to find one.

Connecting all the pieces

As I said, this is a puzzle. There is no silver bullet or step-by-step recipe to follow. There are pieces that need to be fitted together to reduce the gap. If we do not make the necessary changes, the gap will only widen. But closing it is a process. Fortunately, the current environment is increasingly conducive to bringing about this change. More people are listening. It’s no longer a secret matter.

Now the puzzle pieces are shining in the light, and it takes ‘everyone working together’ to solve the whole picture. As I see it, some of the key pieces of the puzzle are:

executive leadership

It starts at the top. Leadership must recognize this is a problem and set the stage. They need to be much more intentional and bring realism to their strategies.

alliance

Women: Find a male ally! Men: Form alliances with the women around you. When male allies are in place, they can elevate women’s voices and provide additional support to our perspectives in ways that are difficult to do when we are in the minority.

A bold woman willing to take risks

Leadership and alliances alone are not enough. Women have a responsibility to be bolder and take more risks. As the IBM Institute for Business Value report shows, men are looking to generative AI to advance their careers, while women see it as a way to keep their jobs. That alone makes a huge difference in how we learn and implement generative AI.

We must rely on leadership support, male allies, and opportunity as they fill the space around us. Is it scary? confident. that tiring, but the same goes for women. We are resilient.

I think of my mother. She is my hero and superhero. She has the highest EQ of anyone I know. She is very giving, insightful, and harmonious with others. And she even said, “People can’t read your mind.” She taught us to use our voices, follow our passions, set goals and work hard to achieve them. And very importantly, don’t accept ‘no’ as the final answer. That’s her resilience and strength that I got from her.

As women, we must rely on our resilience and natural strength. It’s up to us to be bolder, seize those opportunities and speak out. Even if we stumble or fail in pursuing innovation and taking risks, we must remain focused on the goals we set. Get back up and do what needs to be done, and help lift other women in the process.

Whether it’s hard work, confidence, faith or mindfulness and resilience, these are the pieces of the puzzle that we can control. And, of course, there is the choice to pay the price for the next generation of female leaders.

Get the report: “Building the Future with AI: Women Can Lead” Read More: “AI Technology for Everyone”

(1) In partnership with Censuswide, IBM interviewed 4,008 senior business decision makers from companies with 250 or more employees across France, Germany, Italy, KSA, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom in December 2023. . This includes 2,005 male leaders and 2,003 female leaders.