The theme for International Women’s Day in 2024 is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,” closely in the heels of last year’s theme of “Gender Equality”, one of the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030.
Women’s well-being, safety, progress and gender equality are vital for creating growing economies, sustainable enterprises, and a happier, healthier world.
However, current global statistics paint a very different and sombre picture, with projections indicating that by 2030, over 340 million women and girls—8% of the female population—will live in extreme poverty; it will take more than 200 years to achieve gender equality in public life.
The rapid evolution and adoption of artificial intelligence technology have transformed the way we think, act, behave and live. Its widespread use, especially in businesses, has led to beneficial outcomes for economies, workplaces and society. Hence, it is natural to apply AI to complex data-driven problems such as gender quality and women’s empowerment, to assist governments in implementing effective policies and measures.
The AI revolution has humongous significance for a rapidly developing country like India, which currently has a population of 1.43 billion people, making it richly diverse in its demographics and thought processes. The Government of India has taken great strides in establishing a national AI programme through Niti Aayog, complete with establishing an AI mission and AI stack to drive AI-driven transformation in key sectors such as healthcare, digital finance, education and career opportunities.
While AI has so far been very beneficial in transforming businesses at large, it also holds tremendous potential for empowering women, who remain underrepresented in society.
Some of the key aspects in which AI can empower and benefit women are: