The impact of AI on gender equality in the labour market
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an important tool in the digital transformation and a key driver of change and innovation. However, new forms of work practices can have a different impact on women when compared to men.
The Council of the European Union is calling on Member States to ensure that women and men benefit equally from the opportunities created by AI in different areas of the labour market, including platform work. Such measures include protection against related risks such as the risk of opaque decision-making and algorithmic discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
The following are the main measures proposed to Member States:
- To take concrete steps to improve awareness of gender equality issues in AI research and design;
- To ensure that when AI is used for the management of human resources, it promotes transparency and gender equality, particularly in the areas of pay, training, access to promotion, and career progression;
- To ensure algorithmic transparency and to address the problem of historically biased input data in the use of AI.