Half of women lack AI skills that would help them succeed

Artificial intelligence is advertised as an asset for employees in their careers, but for many women, it's proving to be more of an obstacle instead. 

Half of women say they don't have the skills — due to lack of experience and education — to keep up with new tech, according to a recent survey from job search platform Indeed. As a result, over 40% of women do not feel prepared to deal with the impact of new tech and AI on their career. 

"We expect that all jobs will see some level of disruption from generative AI," says Hannah Calhoon, head of AI innovation at Indeed. "This is a really new wave of technological innovation and there's still a lot of uncertainty about exactly how it's going to manifest for people — especially women."  

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Historically, men have been disproportionately exposed to advancements in automation, because jobs in male-dominated fields such as STEM industries were the most likely to see early tech adoption, according to Indeed. In comparison, the majority of women have traditionally been in fields that are considered to be only moderately at risk of being disrupted by AI, thus limiting their exposure and access to new tools. 

Fortunately, the survey also revealed that 75% of women said that they felt comfortable using emerging technology in general at or above an intermediate level. This signals that the foundation to improve women's odds with AI is strong, according to Calhoon. 

"They just haven't necessarily had their hands on [AI], so they don't feel confident yet," she says. "As we see generative AI incorporated into day-to-day workflows, the majority of women who feel comfortable talking about that intermediate level or above are eventually going to feel more comfortable utilizing this technology effectively." 

In the interim, there are many ways women looking to boost their AI proficiency levels can take steps to upskill themselves. 

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"It is always important to experiment with new tools when they show up in your job market, and generative AI is no exception," Calhoonsays. "There are also online resources and courses on generative AI that, if utilized appropriately, can help them build workplaces where they feel more confident and able to thrive." 

Fifty-eight percent of women considered the technology changes already implemented by their organization to be positive, according to Indeed. This is why employers should also be prioritizing the creation of more opportunities for their female workforce, according to Calhoon, especially if it's an organization that has already started to incorporate more AI into their day-to-day operations. 

"All employers should be offering some form of upskilling around what the new technology is, what it can do and what it can't," she says. "Helping your female employees get ahead of the AI movement and have a positive experience with it that feels empowering and accessible is critical to think about."