AI for All: African and Arab Feminist Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence
(MS TEAMS, moderated panel discussion, 18. March, 11:30 – 13:00 CET)
Recent dynamics in AI development have fired euphoria and dystopian fears alike. AI’s interaction with gender relations and complex inequalities is still largely neglected. Feminist AI therefore emphasizes the need for decolonization, inclusivity, and equity in technological development. Advocates see a feminist approach as pivotal in addressing the systemic biases and power imbalances entrenched in the global tech sector. In African and Arabic contexts, AI is often associated with a high potential for leapfrogging and hence, technological, and economic advancement. Yet, women and marginalized communities are underrepresented in AI spaces. They are prone to data exploitation by the data industry, which is still mostly located in the Global North, to biases in machine learning as well as to invisible and precarious jobs in the gig economy, such as data labelling often conducted in the South. Panelists from the African and the Arab context in exchange with GIZ colleagues will elaborate on how to challenge gender and intersectional inequalities inscribed in the AI ecosystem. Our guiding question will be: How can GIZ support and adapt feminist approaches to AI in order to make AI work for all?
GIZ Departments: Africa and Europe, Mediterranean, Central Asia