A new UN Women report, Gender Snapshot 2026, has claimed women are being left behind in the artificial intelligence boom after it found women account for only 22 per cent of AI professionals globally.
A new UN Women report has claimed women are being left behind in the artificial intelligence boom.
According to the latest Gender Snapshot 2026, which was presented at the United Nations General Assembly, women account for only 22 per cent of AI professionals globally and hold fewer than 14 per cent of senior leadership positions shaping the sector.
Additionally, women are 20 per cent less likely than men to adopt generative AI tools.
Sarah Hendriks, Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Support at UN Women, said: “The future of AI cannot be built by half the world’s talent.
“As artificial intelligence reshapes economies, societies and daily life, women’s equal participation is crucial to its design, governance and regulation.
“If women are excluded, the inequalities of today risk becoming embedded in the systems of tomorrow.”
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), female-dominated occupations are nearly twice as vulnerable to generative AI workplace automation compared to male-dominated roles.
What’s more, the report fears AI is expanding the speed and severity of tech-facilitated violence against women and girls.
According to the report, nearly one in four reported incidents of online violence against female journalists, activists, and human rights defenders now involves AI tools.
UN Women is urging governments and technology companies to enforce stronger AI safeguards, regulate emerging tools, and mandate women’s equal participation in the design, regulation, and governance of AI.
UN Women warns rapid AI expansion risks embedding deep gender inequalities
