Why we need to inspire more women to go into STEM and AI

This article is promoted by ABET

ABET has developed comprehensive guidance which it hopes will boost the role women play in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and professions, including in the fast-developing field of artificial intelligence (AI), a ground-breaking tech thus far rolled out mainly by men.

ABET, launched in 1932, is a long-established United States-based international science, technology, engineering and applied and natural sciences quality assurance body. It accredits college and university associate, bachelor’s and masters degree programmes in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology, writing quality standards to produce graduates who can thrive in a global workforce.

One problem it seeks to contribute to fixing is male dominance of AI and the biases created through a lack of diversity.

AI is threatening to disrupt many economic and professional sectors worldwide, but, as the World Economic Forum warned in August 2023, women comprise only 22% of AI professionals globally.

This gender imbalance introduces gender bias in algorithms that underpin AI systems. These can warp AI decisions in automated hiring processes and generating credit score ratings, reinforcing gender stereotypes.

A lack of women managing what data is fed into AI systems could skew their knowledge databases, changing the advice they give users through bias rather than facts. That includes affecting the development of ethical guidelines on what AI systems should or should not do, because women and men have different perspectives on ethical considerations.

As individuals who have experienced a lack of inclusion, women are more likely to prioritise inclusive design, creating AI access that caters to a broader range of users.

In addition, the World Economic Forum noted in 2022 that only 13.83% of AI paper authors are women, as are just 18% of presenters at the leading AI conferences – although we are very excited that one of the 18%, Dr Karen Panetta, will be the keynote speaker at ABET’s annual symposium this April with the theme focused on AI.

Having more women involved in AI research and development would help ensure this technology delivers better solutions and helps towards forging a global society: Women make up half of the world population so ours is a critical voice that needs to be heard.

Another serious concern, according to 2023 figures from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body, is that 35% of women still lack access to the internet at all, compared to 30% of men.

That number is significant. If you don’t have access, how are you going to be familiar with technology and then want to have a career in technology?

ABET has been seeking to tackle these problems through its quality assurance of degree programmes both inside and outside the United States, which is designed to build diversity within student bodies, and thence faculty.

It works through the criteria that emphasise collaboration and highlight diversity and inclusion, equal opportunities for all and collaboration with industry. It is designed to create an environment where people are expected to contribute, to be heard and work in diverse teams.

ABET’s guidance is not prescriptive: We don’t tell people how to do their jobs and how to create an equality programme in itself, but we set criteria that ensure that these principles and these actions are incorporated one way or the other into the curriculum.

Proactively encouraging participation

Another method we employ is to inspire female participation in STEM education and ultimately in career fields like AI development through ABET awards, notably the Claire L Felbinger Award for Diversity and Inclusion, which was awarded in November 2023 to Dr Jenna P Carpenter, founding dean and professor of engineering at Campbell University, North Carolina, who has proactively encouraged girls and women to thrive in STEM subjects.

Also, in 2018 ABET awarded Dr Ignatios Vakalis for outstanding vision, commitment and progress in the recruitment, retention and empowerment of women in computer science and software engineering.

Another individual worth highlighting is the AI researcher Dr Fei-Fei Li, a co-founder of AI4ALL, a US-based non-profit increasing diversity and inclusion in AI education, research, development and policy.

There haven’t been a lot of women engaged thus far in the development of AI, but there have been some remarkable women who have made specific contributions.

Dr Li, Sequoia Professor in the computer science department at Stanford University, California, has launched a foundation that provides opportunities for under-represented groups to participate in AI so that AI professionals can be more diverse.

On top of being a pioneer in the field, she has been leading a taskforce on creating diversity in AI developers which will eventually eliminate some of the biases currently in AI.

That includes tackling the problem that a majority of female IT undergraduates do not pick up careers in the same field of study.

There needs to be more work done to encourage women who graduate to actually enter the IT field, especially – as is often the case – if 70% of the class is male, giving an unintended and false signal that women do not belong in IT.

It starts there. Women are interested and have degrees in IT, but very few of them take this step to be in the field as a career and contribute to it.

In the United Kingdom, for example, only 31% of core STEM course higher education students are female (and non-binary), according to a 2022-23 assessment by networking and careers organisation STEM Women.

More initiatives are needed

While women’s participation in STEM education has been increasing, there is still work to be done to get gender parity. We need more initiatives to promote inclusivity and address the gender gap.

In addition to awareness-generating campaigns such as STEM Women, a more specialised group is making headway – New York-based non-profit Girls Who Code, which encourages female participation in IT and provides opportunities for girls in computer science and related fields.

There are a lot of success stories in taking young women at elementary and middle school level and seeing them through to college and getting a college degree. Organisations like Girls Who Code recognise the importance of creating that curiosity in girls at an early age and letting them see they can have careers that they may not have considered.

Should they succeed, more women will become leaders in AI and other IT fields – in business and academia, creating a virtuous circle, where female classroom leaders encourage more women to adopt careers in the sector.

Women in the classroom are becoming role models. Indeed, faculty members who make studies relatable to women in the classroom and encourage women in the classroom to pursue and persevere are key.

As well as helping female students succeed, such academic diversity is good for male students too. They have a woman up there in that leadership position, so inclusivity will happen organically for both men and women. It will lead to well-rounded human beings in general if you have exposure to diverse leadership and faculty positions.

For now, the number of women in AI research and development especially remains a minority. But given the small number of women, they have made a significant contribution.

There are a lot of notable women who have set the groundwork for contributing to AI – which is developing so rapidly. The sky’s the limit if we are able to get more women engaged and working with men in AI. They will bring their perspectives together to help create an amazing technology for the future.

Jessica Silwick is CFO and COO for ABET.

This article is promoted by ABET.