Artificial intelligence is currently moving at a speed that often outpaces the laws meant to control it. While this technology is changing industries from medicine to finance, a growing body of research is highlighting a dark side: the rise of gender-based abuse. From the creation of harmful “deepfake” videos to biased software that makes unfair decisions about loans and jobs, AI is being used in ways that specifically target and disadvantage women.
According to global organizations like UNESCO and the World Economic Forum, these risks are not just technical errors. They are the result of a “representation gap” in the workforce and a lack of strong, international regulations.
The Rise of Deepfake Exploitation
One of the most visible and damaging uses of AI today is the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes. These are highly realistic images or videos created by AI that can make a person appear to be doing or saying something they never did. Because the tools to create this content have become cheap and easy to use, they are frequently used as a weapon to harass women.
The impact of this abuse is severe. Victims often face intense emotional distress, harassment from strangers online, and damage to their professional careers. Researchers warn that because this technology is so accessible, the scale of the problem is growing faster than platforms can stop it. The harm is not just digital; it affects the real-world safety and well-being of women and girls globally.
Algorithmic Bias in Daily Life
Beyond social media, AI is quietly making decisions that affect the economic lives of millions. Automated tools are now used by banks to approve credit, by companies to screen job resumes, and by hospitals to prioritize patients. However, these systems are only as good as the data they are given.
If an AI is trained on “biased historical data”—information from a time when women were excluded from certain roles or financial opportunities—the AI will learn to repeat those same patterns. This means a woman might be unfairly rejected for a job or a loan simply because the computer is following a biased history. The World Economic Forum notes that this “algorithmic bias” can actually amplify existing inequalities rather than fixing them.
Why Representation in AI Matters
A major reason these harms persist is that the teams building the technology are not diverse. Currently, women make up only about 12% of AI researchers worldwide. Furthermore, women-led AI startups receive only about 2% of venture capital funding. This imbalance creates a “blind spot” in the industry.
When a development team lacks diversity, they are less likely to notice how a tool might be used to hurt a specific group of people. Improving representation is not just about being fair; it is a technical necessity. A team with different life experiences is better at catching risks before a product is released to the public.
Experts in the field are sounding the alarm about this lack of diversity. One researcher focused on digital ethics explained:
“When we exclude women from the design process, we are essentially building a future that wasn’t made for them. We cannot expect a system to be fair if the people building it do not understand the harms it can cause.”
The Struggle for Better Regulation
Governments are beginning to take action, but the process is slow. The European Union’s AI Act is one of the first major attempts to create rules that reduce discrimination in software. However, in many other parts of the world, legislation takes years to pass, while a new AI tool can be released globally in just a few days.
The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has warned that the gap between how fast technology moves and how fast laws are made is becoming a crisis. Without stronger oversight, companies may continue to release products that have not been properly tested for safety or bias.
Industry Solutions and Technical Fixes
Some technology companies are responding to the pressure by trying to fix the software itself. Common steps include:
Auditing Data: Checking the information used to train AI to make sure it doesn’t favor one gender over another.
Detection Tools: Developing new software that can automatically identify and flag deepfake content.
Transparency: Making it clearer to the public when a computer, rather than a human, has made a major decision.
However, many experts believe that a “technical fix” is not enough. They argue that the industry must also fix its culture by hiring more women and giving them the power to lead.
Looking Toward the Future
The stakes are high for the global economy. If people stop trusting AI because it feels unfair or dangerous, they may stop using these helpful technologies altogether. To build a future where AI benefits everyone, the focus must shift toward “responsible development.”
Addressing gender-based harm requires a three-part plan: stronger government rules, more diverse teams building the technology, and better tools to stop deepfake abuse. As the industry enters this next phase, the goal is to ensure that technology narrows the gap between people instead of making it wider.
