Women underrepresented in India's AI design and development roles
India's AI sector is facing a serious gender gap: experts warn that women are missing from key roles in AI design and development, even though they do a lot of the data work behind the scenes.
Women account for nearly half of data annotators but only around one-fifth of AI developers and deployment engineers, meaning they are concentrated in lower-paying jobs and risk being left out as AI tech grows.
Calls for AI training and accountability
This isn't just an AI problem: it reflects how women across India are underrepresented in high-paying jobs and leadership roles.
India ranks low on global gender equality lists, with experts like Poonam Muttreja saying that investing in women's education and economic independence is crucial.
She puts it simply: Investing in women will not only help them access opportunities offered by emerging technologies but also contribute to overall economic growth.
The call now is for more training, advanced digital and AI skills, pathways into higher-paying technology jobs and leadership positions, and testing AI systems for gender bias and accountability to help close this gap.