Women’s Day in AI boom
As AI continues to shape the future of work and society, it’s crucial to harness its potential to narrow gender equality gaps and create opportunities for women to excel.
With International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, it’s essential to reflect on the strides made in advancing gender equality and empowering women.
For instance, the burgeoning realm of artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense potential for driving economic growth and innovation but it’s imperative to ensure this transformative technology doesn’t leave women behind.
IWD is a poignant reminder of the global efforts to celebrate women’s feats and address their obstacles to gender equality. Since 1975, it has provided a platform to advocate women’s rights, challenge stereotypes and promote inclusivity in all spheres.
This year’s theme, “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, resonates profoundly with the goals of advancing gender equality and empowering women. It underscores the importance of investing in women as a fundamental human rights issue and emphasises urgent action to address barriers to women’s economic empowerment and participation.
As AI continues to shape the future of work and society, it’s crucial to harness its potential to narrow gender equality gaps and create opportunities for women to excel. For a better balance, establishing incentives and targets for recruiting, up-skilling, retaining and promoting women in AI-related fields is key. By making inclusion a key performance indicator, organisations can foster a more diverse and inclusive workforce, driving innovation and creativity.
An inclusive company culture and providing mentorship and networking opportunities have a pivotal role in empowering women in AI. Mentorship programmes like Women in AI can connect women entrepreneurs with investors and industry leaders, facilitating access to funding and resources to grow their ventures. A diverse and inclusive AI ecosystem is essential for unlocking the full potential of AI.
It’s inspiring that the March 4-8 Ladies Leadership and Accountability Conference 2024, convened in Mombasa by the Association of Women Accountants Kenya and themed “Impactful Women Leaders: Leveraging on Digitisation, Innovation and Technology”, highlights the crucial role of women in driving progress and innovation in the Digital Age.
Dr Koech, PhD, a business administration expert, is a board member, Association of Women Accountants Kenya. [email protected].
