Artificial Intelligence and Society: Its Impact on Women’s Life

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are changing the social, economic, and healthcare environment at a very rapid pace, but the use of AI technology has a differential and disproportionate impact on women. This article examines the existing literature on the impact of AI technologies on women’s lives in four broad categories: algorithmic bias and gender discrimination, economic and workforce participation, safety and digital rights, and health and well-being. Based on the existing literature on the discriminatory recruitment algorithms, facial recognition technology failures, and pervasive workplace surveillance, as well as new literature on AI-facilitated harassment through deepfakes and non-consensual intimate images, this article argues that AI technologies both perpetuate existing gender inequalities and create new ones. At the same time, the existing literature also suggests the ways and means of responsible AI design, governance, and policy that can mitigate these effects and ensure more equitable outcomes. The key findings of this article are that there is empirical evidence of gender bias in recruitment algorithms, the disproportionate risk of job automation for women, pervasive workplace surveillance that threatens privacy, and the use of AI-generated deepfake pornography to target women. The article ends with recommendations for the development of gender-sensitive data sets, the use of inclusive design, the employment of robust bias evaluation techniques, and the enhancement of legal and platform accountability to ensure that AI technologies support and do not undermine women’s rights and opportunities.