Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming key sectors such as health, education, governance, and public services, much like electricity and the internet did in earlier eras. While it presents vast opportunities, it also raises critical questions about inclusion, particularly for girls and young women—who gets to participate in this transformation, who is excluded, and who shapes its future.
As the world observes International Girls in ICT Day 2026 under the theme “AI for Development: Girls shaping the digital future,” concerns are growing about whether AI will reduce or reinforce existing inequalities. In regions like Asia and the Pacific, where millions already face poverty and limited social protection, low AI adoption rates risk leaving billions behind, especially women who often experience overlapping disadvantages related to gender, income, age, and geography.
Women are disproportionately employed in roles vulnerable to automation, such as clerical jobs, and remain underrepresented in AI professions globally. Limited access to digital tools further deepens this divide; in South Asia, women are significantly less likely to own smartphones, restricting their ability to benefit from AI in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. This digital exclusion often translates directly into economic exclusion.
Bias within AI systems is another major concern. Many algorithms used in hiring, credit scoring, and other critical decisions are trained on male-dominated datasets, leading to unfair outcomes for women. Beyond gender, AI is also widening generational and environmental divides, with younger workers facing job losses in exposed sectors and AI systems contributing to increased energy consumption and environmental strain.
These growing disparities highlight the urgent need for inclusive AI policies. Expanding digital access, improving literacy, and ensuring safeguards are essential to prevent AI from becoming a driver of inequality. Governments must prioritize universal connectivity, especially by closing gender gaps in smartphone ownership and building shared digital infrastructure through regional cooperation.
Ensuring fairness in AI systems requires embedding equity into their design, including testing for bias and using representative data. At the same time, empowering women and other vulnerable groups with digital and AI skills from an early age is crucial for enabling meaningful participation in the digital economy.
Different countries will need tailored strategies based on their capacities. Lower-capacity nations should focus on basic connectivity and practical AI applications, while more advanced economies can lead in regulation, sustainability, and innovation. Collaborative regional approaches can help bridge gaps and support sustainable growth.
Ultimately, the future impact of AI will depend on decisions made today regarding access, skills, and governance. Its success should not be measured solely by technological advancement, but by its ability to expand opportunities for everyone, particularly those most at risk of being left behind, including girls and young women.
