{
  "id": 3720970,
  "title": "Women are sounding the alarm on AI. Leaders should listen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/women-are-sounding-the-alarm-on-ai-leaders-should-listen",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-27T10:02:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91584377/women-are-sounding-the-alarm-on-ai-leaders-should-listen-ai-dangers-women-technology"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Reese Witherspoon's remarks on the importance of women in AI have sparked debate, revealing an ongoing divide in perspectives toward artificial intelligence. While some view AI as an exciting technological future, others sound an alarm about its associated risks. New research indicates that women are more likely to fall into the latter category, being less likely to see positive impacts and more likely to anticipate negative societal effects over the next 20 years. This divide warrants attention from leaders, who should consider the implications of these concerns. AI has the potential to reinforce existing inequities rather than leveling the playing field. In fact, nearly half of the AI models analyzed exhibited gender bias, with more than a quarter demonstrating both gender and racial bias. Large language models often reinforce gender stereotypes by associating women with domestic responsibilities, caregiving, and subordinate or sexualized roles, while connecting men with leadership, business, and professional achievement. Additionally, attempts to make AI more inclusive can inadvertently introduce new distortions. Once AI systems are deployed, they can reproduce and amplify biases present in their training datasets, which often reflect historical and societal biases. This bias is not limited to AI systems themselves but also extends to opportunities for learning and using these technologies. A survey of 12,000 employees worldwide found that while 71% of men reported having AI expertise, only 29% of women did. This gap in AI proficiency is exacerbated by differences in access to tools, training opportunities, and perceived preparedness to utilize AI at work. Ironically, when women do employ AI, they may face competence penalties. In a study where participants evaluated a résumé that had been enhanced by AI, evaluators who attributed the AI assistance to a woman were twice as likely to question the candidate's competency. Women coders also receive lower competence ratings when AI is used in their work. Beyond bias, the risks of AI are not evenly distributed. Privacy concerns arise from the potential for generative AI systems to retain user inputs, making it unclear how data may be used or how to prevent it from training the AI model. This uncertainty can make sharing sensitive information feel risky, leading women to be less interested in relying on generative AI for personal matters. Moreover, deepfakes—AI-generated media that mimic a person's appearance or voice—pose a significant threat to women's safety. Recent studies estimate that 98% of all deepfake content online is nonconsensual and pornographic, with 99% of those depicted being women. Women in public-facing roles are particularly vulnerable to online abuse designed to intimidate, silence, and drive them out of public life. As deepfake tools become more user-friendly and generate images more quickly and inexpensively, the threat is expected to grow. Finally, AI can alienate customers, particularly in customer-facing roles which are predominantly held by women. When AI voice assistants or chatbots fail to provide the information needed, human workers are called upon to step in. The reliance on AI for these roles can make them even more emotionally demanding, as someone must soften the AI's limitations. Leaders must consider these challenges and ensure that the deployment of AI is responsible and equitable to avoid exacerbating existing inequalities.",
  "summary": "Reese Witherspoon, the actor and producer, recently faced backlash after saying , “It’s so, so important that women are involved in AI . . . because the change is here.” Her comments struck a nerve. One response , which received more than 4,300 likes, argued: “The ‘it’s here to stay’ mentality encourages us to dampen our critical thinking skills and accept circumstances that can hurt us.”…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}