Whereas everybody’s busy fearing AI for wiping away jobs, one thing that calls for equal stirring is AI deepening the present gender inequalities. Since AI learns from historic knowledge, when the coaching knowledge displays societal biases, AI programs inherit and amplify discrimination.
From hiring algorithms to wage prediction, fashions could deepen gender pay gaps.
A research by the Berkeley Haas Heart for Fairness, Gender & Management examined 133 AI programs throughout varied industries and revealed that roughly 44% exhibited gender bias.
To make issues worse, many ladies hesitate to interact with AI instruments, fearing obsolescence relatively than seeing it as a chance.
In an interview with AIM, Chaitra Vedullapalli, Ladies in Cloud founder and president, shared her insights on the challenges ladies face within the tech trade. All through her profession, she found that girls lacked entry to important funding and sources.
She realised that the problem wasn’t only a lack of funding in women-led companies, it was a bigger problem of preparation and entry.
Throughout her tenure at Microsoft, Vedullapalli, additionally a TEDx speaker, noticed that regardless of the trade’s developments, ladies continued to face vital boundaries in entrepreneurship and management roles in tech.
Reflecting on her journey, she famous, “At Microsoft, I used to be recruited as a ‘compete rent’ and was tasked with making a Companion Velocity Platform (an $80 million undertaking that unified all companion applications right into a single expertise platform).”
This expertise gave her a holistic understanding of software program creation, licensing, and gross sales channels, in addition to shaping her perspective on the trade’s systemic challenges for girls.
Levelling the Taking part in Area
This realisation pushed her to create Ladies in Cloud, an initiative designed to generate $1 billion in financial entry for girls by addressing systemic boundaries. She strongly believes that whereas discrimination exists, ladies who’re well-prepared and display robust enterprise acumen can efficiently navigate the trade.
“Recognising the difficulties confronted by ladies, particularly these balancing a number of jobs, Ladies in Cloud prioritised flexibility in its coaching programmes,” Vedullapalli stated.
The initiative launched in India and has since expanded, impacting 5,000 ladies over the previous three years. Of those members, 18% have secured jobs, whereas 30% have earned Microsoft certifications.
These certifications play an important position in levelling the taking part in discipline, making certain that girls enter the workforce on equal footing with males, eliminating hierarchical disparities, and strengthening their competitiveness within the job market.
Moreover, buying a powerful basis in expertise empowers ladies to pursue entrepreneurship, equipping them with the talents to develop AI and cybersecurity options.
Offering for the Indian Market
Given the excessive certification prices in India—starting from ₹4,00,000 to ₹5,00,000—Ladies in Cloud sought modern funding options. By leveraging company partnerships, it secured 1,000 absolutely funded scholarships underwritten by Microsoft and Coursera, evenly distributed between India and the worldwide market.
The demand was overwhelming, with 4,000 purposes acquired in a single day. Over time, 42,000 scholarships have been distributed throughout 100 international locations.
Since certification exams require rigorous preparation, akin to IIT entrance exams, the programme additionally presents important help programs, together with neighborhood engagement and knowledgeable trainers, to help candidates.
Whereas the initiative primarily focuses on ladies, it takes an inclusive method by allocating 80% of alternatives to ladies whereas reserving 20% for males who require help. The organisation prioritises allyship over exclusivity, making certain that studying sources stay broadly accessible.
At present, the programme operates in 80 international locations, with vital engagement in Nigeria, Morocco, Canada, the US, France, Germany, Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and different international areas.
Including to this, Manju Dhasmana , senior director of Company Social Accountability, at Microsoft India emphasises that “when ladies thrive in AI, companies, and entrepreneurship, whole economies profit.”
According to this perception, Microsoft is making substantial investments in AI skilling to make sure accessibility for girls throughout city and rural India. By initiatives resembling Ladies in Digital Enterprise and ADVANTA(I)GE India, Microsoft has already skilled thousands and thousands throughout the nation.
In 2024 alone, greater than 2.4 million folks had been expert beneath ADVANTA(I)GE India, with over 60% being ladies and greater than 70% from non-metro areas—many from tier II and III cities—equipping them with the instruments to construct and scale their ventures.
Additional reinforcing this mission, Microsoft’s partnership with IndiaAI goals to equip 500,000 people—together with ladies entrepreneurs—with important AI expertise by 2026.
Rethinking DEI and Transferring Past Fragmented Inclusion
Vedullapalli challenges the present method to range, fairness, and inclusion (DEI), arguing that it’s typically biased and fragmented. She believes that as a substitute of prioritising true accessibility, DEI initiatives have been divided into separate teams—resembling ladies’s teams, LGBTQ+ teams, and racial teams—resulting in a disjointed framework.
Reasonably than imposing inflexible DEI insurance policies, she advocates for a shift in the direction of broadening entry to sources in schooling, financial alternatives, and office lodging.
Rency Mathew, folks chief–India and South Asia, and MD, Sabre Bengaluru, highlighted how DEI initiatives have develop into an integral a part of India’s company panorama, with many organisations striving to foster inclusive work environments.
Nevertheless, she identified that “these efforts in India have predominantly centered on gender range. Contemplating the nation’s huge range, it’s important to broaden the DEI framework to embrace different dimensions.”
Parul Dhir, director of DEI and worker engagement at Acuity Information Companions, shared insights into the corporate’s latest DEI efforts, stating, “This previous yr, we launched three main initiatives: a mentorship program for girls, a collection of workshops on unconscious bias, and over 55+ DEI occasions and initiatives to interact our staff.”
Ramya Parashar, chief working officer at MiQ, emphasised the significance of translating DEI intentions into measurable impression.
“One of many greatest hurdles is shifting past intent to measurable impression, making certain that DEI isn’t just a checkbox however a deeply embedded a part of our tradition. Breaking unconscious biases in hiring and management growth, creating really inclusive insurance policies that cater to numerous wants, and sustaining engagement past surface-level initiatives require steady effort.
The submit How ‘Ladies in Cloud’ Flips the Script on AI and Gender Bias appeared first on Analytics India Journal.
