Artificial Intelligence And Gender Equality And Gender .
United NationsEducational, Scientific andCultural OrganizationARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCEand GENDEREQUALITYKey findings of UNESCO’sGlobal Dialogue
ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCEand GENDEREQUALITYKey findings of UNESCO’sGlobal Dialogue
Prepared in August 2020 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France UNESCO 2020This report is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO)license /). The present license applies exclusivelyto the text content of this report and to images whose copyright belongs to UNESCO. By usingthe content of this report, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO OpenAccess Repository a-en).The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this report do not implythe expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status ofany country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiersor boundaries.The ideas and opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors; they are not necessarilythose of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.This Report was prepared by the Division for Gender Equality, UNESCOGraphic design: Anna MortreuxPrinted by UNESCOThe printer is certified Imprim’Vert , the French printing industry’s environmental initiative
CONTENTSForeword. 2Introduction. 4FRAMING THE LANDSCAPE OF GENDER EQUALITY AND AI . 6AI and Social Good6The Imperatives of Gender Equality7GENDER EQUALITY AND AI PRINCIPLES. 9Gender Equality in Existing Principles9RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTEGRATING GE INTO AI PRINCIPLES. 16Process of Principle Development16Content of Principles16GENDER TRANSFORMATIVE OPERATIONALIZATION OF AI PRINCIPLES. 19Awareness, Education an Skills19Private Sector/Industry20Other Stakeholders28ACTION PLAN AND NEXT STEPS. 30Awareness30Framework30Coalition Building31Capacity Building, Technical Assistance and Funding32Research, Monitoring and Learning32SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS. 33ANNEXES. 36Annex 1: Explicit references to gender equality in existing AI ethics principles36Annex 2: Selected initiatives that address gender equality in AI40References. 44Bibliography. 481
ForewordAdvancing gender equality through education, the sciences, culture, information andcommunication lies at the heart of UNESCO’s mandate, with Gender Equality constitutingone of the two Global Priorities of the Organization since 2008. This means that UNESCOapplies a gender equality lens to all its initiatives, including its normative work.The present report builds on UNESCO’s previouswork on gender equality and AI and aims to continuethe conversation on this topic with a select groupof experts from key stakeholder groups. In March2019, UNESCO published a groundbreaking report,I’d Blush if I Could: closing gender divides in digitalskills through education, based on research fundedby the German Federal Ministry for EconomicCooperation and Development. This report featuredrecommendations on actions to overcomeglobal gender gaps in digital skills, with a specialexamination of the impact of gender biases codedinto some of the most prevalent AI applications.The recommendations concerning AI’s genderbiases are urgent in light of the explosive growthof digital voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexaand Apple’s Siri. Almost all voice assistants aregiven female names and voices, and express a‘personality’ that is engineered to be uniformlysubservient. As the UNESCO report explains, thesebiases are rooted in stark gender imbalances indigital skills education and are exacerbated bythe gender imbalances of the technical teamsdeveloping frontier technologies by companies withsignificant gender disparities in their C-suites andcorporate boards.The release of I’d Blush if I Could has helpedspark a global conversation on the gendering ofAI technology and the importance of educationto develop the digital skills of women and girls.Over 600 media reports have been published onit by outlets across the world, including The NewYork Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, El País, DerSpiegel, and many others. The conversation wassubsequently taken up by influential global fora,such as the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal,considered as the largest tech event in the world.At the Summit’s 2019 edition, which gathered over70.000 participants, I had the honor of discussingthe gender biases and sexism displayed bydigital voice assistants during a fireside chat withthe journalist Esther Paniagua, launching theDeepTech stage of the Summit.Building on this momentum, UNESCO planned afollow-up conference to coincide with InternationalWomen’s Day in March 2020. The conferenceentitled ‘Gender Equality and the Ethics of ArtificialIntelligence: What solutions from the private sector”,and funded by the German Government and GoogleExponent, aimed to continue the conversationwith experts from the technology industry aswell as from academia and research institutes.Unfortunately, we had to cancel this global eventdue to the COVID-19 pandemic.Since rescheduling the conference was not possible,we decided to reorient our work and launch aGlobal Dialogue on Gender Equality and ArtificialIntelligence (the Dialogue) with leaders in AI, digitaltechnology and gender equality from academia, civilsociety and the private sector. We structured theDialogue around eight questions that participantscould answer either in writing or through a virtualinterview session that was recorded.The present report shares the main findings fromexperts’ contributions to UNESCO’s Dialogueon Gender Equality and AI, as well as additionalresearch and analysis conducted by an externalconsultant, Jennifer Breslin1. The report providesrecommendations on how to address gender equalityconsiderations in AI principles. It also offers guidanceto the public and private sectors, as well as to civilsociety and other stakeholders, regarding how tooperationalize gender equality and AI principles. For1Executive Director of Futuristas, a policy organization that advocates for a broader science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics(STEAM) ecosystem that is inclusive, just and responds to the needs of society.2
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND GENDER EQUALITYexample, it highlights the need to increase generalawareness within society regarding the negativeand positive implications of AI for girls, women andgender non-binary people. Regarding the educationsector, it also insists on the need to develop curriculaand pedagogy that better integrate cross-disciplinarysocial sciences, ethics and technology literacy at thesecondary and tertiary educational levels.The timing of the Global Dialogue on GenderEquality and AI is also propitious to take theconversation forward in order to ensure that AIand AI codes of ethics are part of the solution,rather than part of the problem, in global efforts toachieve gender equality. In November 2019, at the40th session of the General Conference, UNESCOMember States unanimously decided to mandatethe Organization with developing a global normativeinstrument on the ethics of artificial intelligenceto be submitted to the 41st session of the GeneralConference for its approval in November 2021. WhileUNESCO is preparing its draft Recommendation onthe Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the findings andrecommendations of the Dialogue will provide thestakeholders with the opportunity to reflect on howbest to integrate gender equality considerations intosuch global normative frameworks.This report is the result of teamwork. First, I amgrateful to the experts and leaders in the field of AIfor taking the time to either talk to me via video orrespond to our questions in writing. Without theirinput, we would not have been able to produce thisdocument. These experts are (in alphabetical order):– Rediet Abebe, Junior Fellow, Society of Fellows,Harvard University– Getnet Aseffa, CEO, iCog Labs– Maria Axente, Responsible AI and AI for GoodLead, PwC United Kingdom– Samara Banno, Tech/AI Expert, Women Leadingin AI– Daniela Braga, Founder and CEO, DefinedCrowd– Margaret Burnett, Distinguished Professor,School of Electrical Engineering and ComputerScience, Oregon State University– Christine Chow, Director, Global Tech Lead,Head of Asia and Emerging Markets, FederatedHermes– Lori Foster, Research Partner and Advisor,pymetrics– Allison Gardner, co-Founder of Women Leadingin AI– Sara Kassir, Senior Policy and Research Analyst,pymetrics– Genevieve Macfarlane Smith, Associate Director,Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership,UC Berkeley Haas School of Business– Saralyn Mark, Founder and President, iGIANT– Mike McCawley, Chief Architect, IBM Watsonin Support– Frida Polli, CEO, pymetrics– Londa Schiebinger, John L. Hinds Professorof History of Science, Stanford University– Elizabeth Stocks, Tech/AI Expert, Women Leadingin AI– Kelly Trindel, Head of Policy & I/O Science,pymetricsI am indebted to Jennifer Breslin for travelling toManhattan in March, during the scary early daysof the pandemic to meet with me and for acceptingwithout hesitation to collaborate on this project. Sheput in an extraordinary effort under difficult and tighttimelines to conduct stellar research and preparea draft. Blandine Bénézit has been indispensablein this process since November 2019. Despite thedisappointment of the cancellation of the globalconference she helped organize for 7 March 2020 atUNESCO, she rallied behind the idea of re-orientingthe work and provided support with this Dialogueby preparing the questions, transcribing recordingsand editing, with Anne Candau, the final report.I would be remiss if I did not mention Bruno Zanobiaand Mary Joy Brocard from my team for theirlogistical, communications and design support forthe Conference and for the Dialogue. I also wish toexpress my sincere gratitude to the staff, consultantsand interns of UNESCO’s Division for Gender Equality;International Women’s Day Programme WorkingGroup; and the AI Intersectoral Task Team for theirinput and feedback at different stages of the process.This report is the final product of a 3-year partnershipand generous financial support of the GermanGovernment. Our collaboration that started witha wonderful, trusting working relationship withNorman Schraepel in 2017 continued with DrMichael Holländer, both from the German Agencyfor International Cooperation (GIZ). I am particularlygrateful to Michael for his unwavering support, trust,solidarity and flexibility without which I could nothave been able to navigate this initiative throughunexpected developments, including a pandemic.Saniye Gülser CoratDirector for Gender Equality, UNESCOParis, 26 August 20203
IntroductionSimply put, artificial intelligence (AI) involves using computers to classify, analyze, anddraw predictions from data sets, using a set of rules called algorithms. AI algorithmsare trained using large datasets so that they can identify patterns, make predictions,recommend actions, and figure out what to do in unfamiliar situations, learningfrom new data and thus improving over time. The ability of an AI system to improveautomatically through experience is known as Machine Learning (ML).While AI thus mimics the human brain, currentlyit is only good, or better than the human brain, ata relatively narrow range of tasks. However, weinteract with AI on a daily basis in our professionaland personal lives, in areas such as jobrecruitment and being approved for a bank loan, inmedical diagnoses, and much more.The AI-generated patterns, predictions andrecommended actions are reflections of theaccuracy, universality and reliability of the data setsused, and the inherent assumptions and biases ofthe developers of the algorithms employed. AI is setto play an even more important role in every aspectof our daily lives in the future. It is important to lookmore closely at how AI is, and will affect genderequality, in particular women, who represent overhalf of the world’s population.Research, including UNESCO’s 2019 report I’dBlush if I Could: closing gender divides in digital skillsthrough education, unambiguously shows thatgender biases are found in Artificial Intelligence(AI) data sets in general and training data setsin particular. Algorithms and devices have thepotential of spreading and reinforcing harmfulgender stereotypes. These gender biases riskfurther stigmatizing and marginalizing women on aglobal scale. Considering the increasing ubiquity ofAI in our societies, such biases put women at risk ofbeing left behind in all realms of economic, politicaland social life. They may even offset some of theconsiderable offline progress that countries havemade towards gender equality in the recent past.4AI also risks having a negative impact on women’seconomic empowerment and labour marketopportunities by leading to job automation.Recent research by the IMF1 and the Institute forWomen’s Policy Research2 found that women areat a significantly higher risk of displacement d
the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the findings and recommendations of the Dialogue will provide the stakeholders with the opportunity to reflect on how best to integrate gender equality considerations into such global normative frameworks. This report is the result of teamwork. First, I am grateful to the experts and leaders in the field of AI for taking the time to either talk to me via .
public sector equality duty came into force on 5 April 2011. There are five England/GB guides giving advice on the duty: 1. The essential guide to the public sector equality duty 2. Equality objectives and the equality duty 3. Equality information and the equality duty 4. Meeting the equality duty in policy and decision-making 5.
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social justice movement to achieve gender equality. Religion and Gender Equality— The State of Play The relationship between religion and gender equality is a complex one. Religion plays a vital role in shaping cultural, social, economic, and political norms in many parts of the world. Similarly, gender roles and the status of women
Artificial Intelligence -a brief introduction Project Management and Artificial Intelligence -Beyond human imagination! November 2018 7 Artificial Intelligence Applications Artificial Intelligence is the ability of a system to perform tasks through intelligent deduction, when provided with an abstract set of information.
8 2018 : Gender Equality and Womens Voice Guidance Note Our theory of change is based on CARE’s experience that achieving gender equality and women’s voice requires transformative change. CARE’s theory of change for gender equality and women’s voice work is outlined in the Gender Equality Framework (GEF) above and the graphic below. 7
GENDER EQUALITY GLOBAL REPORT & RANKING - 2022 EDITION 5 INTRODUCTION I am proud to publish our 2022 Gender Equality Global Report and Ranking. As the first organisation anywhere to formally measure gender equality in the global workplace, our fifth year is a good moment to reflect on progress but also to call out how much further there is to go.
FEMINIST CRITICISM: AN INTRODUCTION SANDEEP KUMAR SHARMA Research Scholar Department of English Punjabi University, Patiala (Punjab) INDIA Feminist criticism began as a kind of revolution against the traditional literary criticism which was male-centred that considered women's writing as inferior. A feeling prevailed among the traditional literary critics that women were incapable of any .
