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AI threatens to widen gender gap for regional girls
Artificial intelligence could disrupt more than just technology – it could widen the gender gap between boys and girls studying science, technology, engineering and maths.
Women 4 STEM spokeswoman Sharon Samson issued the warning on Friday, while calling for industry, educators and governments to do more to encourage girls to study science and to support women to stay in STEM careers.
AI technology has become a major force in Australian business, with the National AI Centre finding 40 per cent of small to medium enterprises use the technology.
But its widespread adoption could put girls at a further disadvantage, Ms Samson said, as they were less likely to study technology subjects due to cultural biases, narrow framing, and a lack of role models.
"What we're noticing is that AI is (widening) some of the gender gap," she said.
"While we're desperately trying to work with the government to put in place measures to ensure we close the gap, it is widening behind us."
Only three in five girls were likely to choose a STEM subject in grades six to eight, according to a survey by YouthInsight, compared to four in five boys.
Ms Samson said AI could exacerbate the problem for girls as they were increasingly choosing to study in areas "ripe for disruption" by the technology, including accounting, clerical work, bookkeeping and retail jobs.
The gap was more stark in regional areas of Australia, she said, where some educational facilities did not have access to generative AI technology or teachers trained to use it.
"Some schools are nailing it – they've got a great teacher, they've got a great curriculum, and they're consuming all the wonderful outcomes," Ms Samson said.
"Other schools are starved – they don't have the right folks in there leading the technology and STEM fields."
A study by the federal Education Department found high school students in remote locations were about 1.5 years behind their city peers in science.
Women 4 STEM has invited 250 students from 13 regional schools to participate in its annual Go Girl, Go for IT event, which is expected to host 2000 students at Deakin University on August 13.
The event will come months after the federal government announced $45 million to fund 10 projects in the Building Women's Careers Program designed to provide education, partnership and networking opportunities for women in male-dominated industries.
The program is also designed to address a skills shortages in STEM-based fields, including engineering where The Insight Centre predicts a shortage of 200,000 roles by 2040.
