International Women’s Day 2025: Women & AI

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action for gender parity. While it's a wonderful opportunity to honor women's accomplishments, it also serves as a rallying point to address the systemic barriers women face.

At Ergodic, we believe it is particularly important as an AI startup to recognize that women are significantly underrepresented from the field and industry of artificial intelligence, mirroring the broader gender disparities in STEM, and speak about gender-bias in artificial intelligence technologies. 

Starting with female representation in artificial intelligence, lets take a look at the numbers:

• In 2020, women accounted for less than 20% of engineering and computer science students globally Source.

• Women make up only 26% of AI workers globally and represent 22% of AI and computer science PhD programs in North America Source.

• Women account for 22% of AI faculty positions and 18% of AI researchers worldwide. Source.

• Women occupy less than 15% of senior executive positions in AI globally. Source.

Women's representation in startups and venture capital within the AI sector is even more limited, shrinking considerably:

• In the UK, women-led AI startups received only 2% of VC funding, averaging £1.3 million per startup, compared to £8.6 million for male-led startups Source.

• Globally, all-female teams raised just 0.3% of AI funding between 2012 and 2022 Source.

• In the U.S., startups with at least one female founder accounted for 15.38% of AI funding in 2022, showing a steady increase from previous years Source.

• Women are underrepresented in technical and leadership roles, with only 8% of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) globally being women Source.

We need more women building AI technologies, investing in AI ventures, and being part of the industry's growth. Women’s involvement in both the development and funding of AI technologies can bolster innovation, challenge biases, bring diverse perspectives, and ensure that the solutions we create are ethical and inclusive. 

However, the disconnect between the statistics and the lived experiences of many women in these fields show the true story. Women’s stories and perseverance at the core of understanding the attributes such as lack of mentorship, experiencing unconscious bias, and limited opportunities for career advancement that hinder women’s inclusion and dampen their desire to remain in the industry.

But, luckily, there are trailblazers playing a pivotal role in shaping the industry for the better, making it more inclusive. From developing cutting-edge algorithms to shaping ethical AI practices, women in AI are driving progress and ensuring that technology benefits all people, regardless of gender, across all fields.

The UN article How AI reinforces gender bias—and what we can do about it | UN Women – Headquarters showcases a litany of different AI tools aimed to help women through AI – ranging from tools like Ellevest, that empower women with personalised investment plans to promote financial independence and wealth-building; Zest AI, make fairer credit assessments; BSafe, an app providing safety alerts and recommending safer routes for women.

How Do We Empower the Future Generations of Women:

International Women's Day serves as a powerful reminder of the progress made and the challenges that remain in achieving gender equality. Women's representation in AI is a critical issue, as the field shapes the future of technology and society. Addressing biases, increasing diversity, and fostering inclusive environments are essential steps to ensure AI benefits all of humanity. 

By acknowledging and supporting women in AI, we encourage young women to envision themselves in tech roles, fostering a more diverse, innovative, and equitable future in artificial intelligence.

International Women's Day serves as a powerful reminder of the progress made and the challenges that remain in achieving gender equality. Women's representation in AI is a critical issue on all levels, as the field shapes the future of technology and society. Addressing biases, increasing diversity, and fostering inclusive environments are essential steps to ensure AI benefits all individuals. 

On International Women's Day, we recognize both the progress and the work still needed to break down these barriers, especially in the AI industry.

References & Resources: 

International Women's Day 

Why We Need More Women In The AI Revolution | TIME 

Finding Lena Forsen, the Patron Saint of JPEGs | WIRED 

How AI reinforces gender bias—and what we can do about it | UN Women – Headquarters 

Why inspiring the next generation of women and girls in AI is so important | Coventry University 

AI: Why it Matters for Women 

IWD 2025: The Untapped Power: How Women Will Catalyse Innovation in AI 

*This article and sources were written with the assistance of Ergodic Platform’s Search API