Artificial Intelligence and Gender in South Asia: A Review

Abstract

 The report raises a well-timed question within researchers as to the impact of gender within innovation ecosystems in an emerging area such as artificial intelligence. Consequentially, it positions the participation, leadership and benefit sharing aspects of such technologies increasingly shaping day to day life. The report is a baseline study on the intersections of gender and artificial intelligence in South Asia. Using a lifecycle approach, it examines participation by women across AI education, research and the specialised workforce to trace how gendered patterns emerge and compound across these interconnected stages, shaping pathways into AI Knowledge, production and leadership. It focuses on tertiary level Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and computing enrolments as key supply side factors of influence on the one hand and combines it with a value chain approach, comprising upstream data work to model development and downstream applications. The methodology involves use of case studies and qualitative interviews with women across the region, bringing in “lived experiences” into conversation with quantitative evidence.  

Keywords: AI Ethics; AI Governance; AI Leadership; Gender and AI; Global South; South Asia