Source: UN News: Thursday, June 25, 2026 00:01 AM
Systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) are fueling gender and racial biases and are also leading to a rise in violent tendencies against women and girls on digital mediums. Expressing concern over such trends, a new UN study emphasizes the need to realize a gender-equitable digital future. UN organization for the empowerment of women (UN Women) in its study, analyzed 133 AI systems, according to which gender bias was found in 44 percent of them. At the same time, both gender and racial bias was found in 26 percent of AI systems. Despite this, only 51 percent of companies are using human verification before releasing AI-generated content. UN Women’s study highlights what is at stake ahead of global discussions on AI governance in Geneva, Switzerland, in July. UN Women’s Empowerment Institute urges inclusion of women’s rights, experiences and gender equality at every stage of AI development, deployment and operation, including AI, to broaden representation, avoid stereotypes and make the technology accessible to all. Key findings of the analysis: Time is running out to determine the direction of the AI era. Generative AI is a widely used technology in marketing and communications related work, but discriminatory algorithms can lead to gender inequality and discrimination. There is a growing trend to use AI measures to create promotional material, but there are also concerns about which individual or community will be portrayed on these mediums, how and whose stories will be told. Will go. Currently, these decisions are being taken rapidly and there is no room for human oversight or gender perspective in it. Bias and discriminatory algorithms are worrying trends in AI systems. Large Language Model (LLM) has consistently observed that women are associated with family, home, children, while men are associated with business, executives, salary and career fields. When asked to complete a sentence with a person’s gender identity, LLM Sexist and misogynistic attitudes are seen in 20 percent of cases. Such as presenting women as objects of sexual exploitation and property of the husband. This is because the material used to create AI systems is not based on equal representation of men and women and is the result of the circumstances of the last several decades. Therefore, AI bias is not considered a system design problem, but a policy issue. Of the 138 countries surveyed, only 24 mention a gender perspective in national AI strategies. © Unsplash/Yura Fresh Online abuse cases against women are increasing rapidly globally. AI promotes violence against women on digital media Data collected by UN Women shows that globally women and girls have relatively low access to digital media and are more likely to experience online violence there. One in four female human rights activists and journalists have reported being exposed to online violence through AI. According to 12 percent, their personal photographs were shared without their consent. 6 percent said that they were targeted through false photos and videos, deepfakes, while 25 percent of women were sent unwanted sexual proposals through digital messages. Women away from AI development roomsGenerative AI is expected to boost employment opportunities in the technology sector, but women remain under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Only 30 percent of the global workforce in AI is women. The people who are shaping these systems are not able to represent the billions of people for whom they are designed, and this gap is deepening the problem. Women hit hardest by AI-driven economic disruption In other sectors outside the AI sector, women are twice as likely as men to face the risk of losing their jobs due to the technology. This is not limited to gender inequality only. Its harms extend beyond race, disability, socio-economic status and geography. Already underrepresented communities are at risk of being left behind in the media and labor markets. Inclusive AI systems also essential from an advertising perspective Results of a study have proven that inclusive advertising has a positive impact on business profits, sales, and brand value. Brands that create inclusive advertising and avoid gender stereotypes benefit in sales and are more likely to become their customers’ first choice. For this reason, it is important that companies ensure inclusive content in their promotions to avoid reputational and advertising risks, especially when creating ads with the help of generative AI.
