Women need to play a major role in the development of AI at organisations, the chief executive of IBM UK & Ireland has said. Without their involvement there were risks around how AI would serve organisations effectively, she said.
Dr Nicola Hodson was introducing research that sought to establish ways of ensuring more female leaders played an active role in the AI revolution. She warned that it was vital that AI systems were human-centred and trustworthy, with robust governance, and added that female involvement in leadership was not a diversity tick-box exercise but a strategic imperative.
Among the findings of the Female Leadership in the Age of AI UK report were that almost half (48%) of UK business leaders admitted to needing more support on skills development and learning in AI, with 44% wanting more opportunities to experience AI in action.
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More than a third (36%) believed tailored mentoring schemes would be effective in boosting participation. Other solutions ranked highly were improving access to re-skilling programmes and initiatives (31%) and increasing representation at middle-management level (31%).
A fifth of UK respondents (20%) pointed to a lack of interest in diversity and inclusion from tech companies themselves as a barrier to getting more women into leadership positions.
The research took in the opinions of 4,000 senior business decision makers across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Italy.
When UK business leaders were asked whether respondents were confident in their business leadership abilities in the age of AI, 48% of male respondents strongly agreed, compared with 43% of female respondents. This revealed that UK business leaders are less confident in their leadership abilities than those in EMEA markets where the figure was 61% and 46% respectively.
The research revealed a gap between aspiration and reality: 69% of UK business leaders believed it was important that female leaders were involved in decision-making on AI to avoid male bias in outcomes. Yet, only 37% of respondents said that advancing more women into leadership roles is a top priority within their organisations. This was the lowest figure among all markets surveyed in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea) and notably lower than the Emea region average of 51%.”
Hodson warned of the dangers of viewing the gap as a separate diversity issue. She added: “Ensuring female leaders have a seat at the table in the age of AI is not about ticking a diversity box, it is a strategic imperative. Clearly, UK business leaders recognise the importance of this. But progress is still needed to equip women with the skills and confidence to position themselves at the forefront of this revolution – steering it towards a future that is inclusive, ethical, and enabling for all.”
Hodson added that “amid the rush to embrace the exciting possibilities of this technology”, business leaders must consider human needs, and “design a trustworthy, human-centric AI system – with governance at its core – that is aligned with the values and principles of the society or community it serves.”
This, she said, was of critical importance because leaders had considerable influence over how this technology was developed and used by their own organisations and in those of their customers.
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In addition to mentoring schemes and recognition of the diverse skill sets required for effective AI leadership, the IBM report recommended that more effort was needed to address the lack of digital education at school-age level. More collaboration was needed with educational institutions to promote Stem.
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