Why we need to act now on bridging the GenAI gender gap
Why we need to act now on bridging the GenAI gender gap
While GenAI is said to democratize AI, gender parity is still out of reach. If we as a society don’t make a concerted effort to help women bridge the GenAI skills gap, not only will women be left behind, they will be left out.
MWC is always an exciting time of the year. Industry leaders from all over the world come to Barcelona to reveal and discover the latest breakthroughs and achievements in media and communications. Innovation abounds and inspiration is plentiful.
But MWC is not only about the cutting edge in connectivity. This cornerstone event also provides us with a tremendous opportunity to get together and discuss some of the most important forces that drive success for industry players.
Putting the spotlight on diversity, sustainability, & gender inclusion
This year, I have the privilege to participate in three sessions at MWC that are dedicated to such driving forces:
- Diversity:on Tuesday, February 27th, I’ll be participating in a panel on “ Measuring diversity & inclusion: setting goals & tracking progress.”
- Sustainability:on the same day, at the Amdocs booth, we’ll be celebrating ESG innovation (environmental, social, and governance) as based on our TM Forum Catalyst win with AWS, Vodafone, and Snowflake.
- Gender inclusion: on the following day, or team will hold an exclusive gathering of visionary women for a compelling discussion on bridging the gender gap in generative AI (GenAI).
This third topic is the one I want to focus on today.
The stark reality
Bridging the GenAI gender gap is of critical importance to the future success of women in the workplace, as well as for eliminating data bias, and ensuring an equitable society .
We are part of a larger ecosystem that still has a lot of work to do to get us there, with statistics revealing a significant disparity when it comes to men and women in AI.
Women are consistently underrepresented both in crucial roles and in the adoptionof the technology:
And while GenAI is said to democratize AI, gender parity is still out of reach. According to a recent report , only 35% of women are using generative AI tools in their jobs today as compared with almost 50% of men.
If we as a society don’t make a concerted effort to help women bridge the GenAI skills gap, not only will women be left behind, they will be left out.
"Bridging the GenAI gender gap is of critical importance to the future success of women in the workplace, as well as for eliminating data bias, and ensuring an equitable society."
The mandate to upskill & reskill
It is critical to make sure that women have access today to GenAI upskilling and reskilling opportunities, so they can be prepared for a global labor market that will continue to be driven by generative AI.
If they don’t, it will be very difficult for them to compete against other job seekers who are proficient at leveraging GenAI-powered tools to enhance productivity, increase efficiency, and realize creativity.
This is true not only for technology and other roles in the enterprise. It is just as relevant for a very broad range of professions. For example, according to Jorge Cella, Director of Microsoft Philanthropies for the Americas, generative AI can potentially augment the skills and productivity of teachers by 45% .
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The importance of acquiring the requisite skills cannot be overstated. Consider this – since 2022, the demand for generative AI skills has grown by an astounding 1,848% !
And the demand will only continue to grow.
What we’re doing about it at Amdocs
At Amdocs, we invest great efforts into closing the gender gap, both in our organization and in our communities. Underrepresentation of women in technology roles at all levels is not a status quo with which we are willing to reconcile.
That’s why we are very intentional with gender inclusion, targeting policies and programs, establishing executive sponsorships, and integrating it into how we manage our people, build our strategies, and execute our plans.
Moreover, and more specifically, we are also committed to closing the AI gender gap to help girls and women acquire the skillset they need for securing long-term employability and economic viability.
This objective is important to us for another reason. Namely, women must be full partners in shaping the data that’s used to teach and train GenAI models. And the unique of AI doesn’t begin, or stop, at tech: any woman around the word, in any vocation, can make a more significant impact by using AI, and therein lies the magic of it.
This is the only way that the outputs generated by AI can be inclusive and unbiased, and therefore reliable and valuable.
Looking ahead to International Women’s Day
In addition to our cross-organization, year-round initiatives, Amdocs also leverages International Women’s Day (IWD) every year to raise awareness for the need to bridge the gender gap.
This year, IWD lands just a few short days after MWC. And this time around we have exciting and impactful initiatives lined up.
For example, we will be publishing a quantitative research report on the state of women's engagement with AI. The findings will help us understand where we as a society should put our focus and how we can accelerate closing the gap.
We have also developed a toolkit to help Amdocs employees educate girls in their immediate circles and broader communities about AI and the benefits it brings to them as individuals, consumers, and professionals.
We will also make this toolkit available on amdocs.com to extend its value even beyond our more than 30,000 employees worldwide.
Both the report and kit are coming soon, so stay tuned.
In conclusion
With the tectonic shifting power of generative AI, it has never been more critical to enhance women’s relevant skillsets and engagement.
Bridging the gender gap in GenAI adoption, professions, and data is not just about achieving a statistical balance. It's about taking a crucial step toward building a more inclusive and equitable society.
To learn more about what you can do to bring the change, I invite you to come see me at MWC. When I’m not at the roundtable or the panel, I’ll be at the Amdocs booth, Hall 3, Stand 3G10
