THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN IDENTIFYING AND COMBATING WORKPLACE HARASSMENT AGAINST WOMEN

Written by Jain Divya Lalit

INTRODUCTION

Machines are making increasingly predictive decisions, marking a major advancement in artificial intelligence (AI). Important concerns concerning this technical development's implications for women in the working are brought up. Although AI has the potential to be a game-changer, it also presents special difficulties for women, increasing their risk of losing their jobs. This dilemma has wider ramifications for the world economy and social advancement than just equality concerns. Talks about half of the people losing their jobs are having repercussions that affect innovation landscapes, community stability, economic dynamics, and global competitiveness.

Let's take a closer look at how AI is changing the gender dynamic in the workplace and highlight the need of supporting women in this new age of AI. Because of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) calculated that 11% of employment held by women is in danger of being eliminated, a larger rate than positions held by males. This research highlights the importance of justice and the necessity for a prosperous future while shedding light on how to promote gender inclusion in the rapidly developing technology breakthroughs.

ORIGINS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BIASES

By their very nature, algorithms aren't biased, and programmers seldom ever purposefully introduce bias into their work. However, because AI and ML are inherently complicated, prejudice may unintentionally find its way into algorithmic recruiting processes. Bias can exist in the complex machine learning process, which includes steps like feature selection, engineer target definition, and dataset generation. Algorithmic bias may be caused by inadequate representation in datasets, engineers' decision-making, and annotators' handling of unstructured data. These factors highlight the difficulties with AI.

Algorithms used in human resources rely on previous data, which reinforces discrimination against women in the workplace. The Inter-American Development Bank, UNESCO, and the OECD collaborated to issue research on International Women's Day that demonstrates how these algorithms harm women in all aspects of their professions.

However, businesses may create more impartial and objective procedures in many areas of the workplace by putting AI-powered technologies into practice. When it comes to confronting and resolving the issues raised by gender-based harassment in the workplace, AI may be a key component.

AI: PROTECTOR AGAINST HARASSMENT AT WORK

The #MeToo campaign began in 2017 and has since raised awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace and online, particularly through email and instant messaging. According to statistics, 53% of women report having experienced offensive remarks, gestures, or jokes at work, and 56% of women believe that sexual harassment at work is on the rise.

At work, women are subjected to widespread gender-based harassment that can take many forms, from subtle prejudices to overt assault, which fosters a culture of dread and unease. A hostile atmosphere is produced by remarks said aloud, offensive jokes told, or unwanted approaches, which undermine self-worth and dignity. The ongoing abuse of women leads to feelings of vulnerability and frustration, which hinders their capacity to function well and achieve professional success. Women who experience such behavior emotionally suffer from feeling undervalued, powerless, and frequently questioning their value in the job. Fighting gender-based harassment is a fight for more than simply equitable treatment; it's a fight for mental health and the freedom to work in an environment devoid of prejudice. These days, workplace harassment based on gender is being addressed by AI apps. UNESCO sources state that #MeTooBots were created by the AI company NexLP. They are designed to monitor conversations among coworkers and detect and report incidents of sexual harassment and bullying in emails, chats, and documents.

AI-driven methods for detecting harassment have also been created by other firms, such as Spot. With the help of Spot's AI chatbot, which leads them through questions and provides guidance to gather vital information for investigations, employees may report sexual harassment anonymously. The corporation wants to support HR staff in sensitively addressing harassment allegations, emphasising confidentiality while guaranteeing in-depth investigations of instances. Additionally, businesses such as Gfycat use AI to find comparable photos online in order to combat abuse linked to deepfakes. These days, workplace harassment based on gender is being addressed by AI apps.

HOW GENDER INEQUALITIES CAN BE ADDRESSED BY AI

According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, 77% of mothers have had unpleasant or potentially discriminatory experiences when they were pregnant, during their maternity leave, or when they went back to work. Expectant moms frequently experience subtle exclusions from projects or job achievements, which taints the excitement of approaching birth. Maternity leave is supposed to be a holy time for bonding, but when women struggle with pressure to return to work too soon and fear of losing their jobs, the sacred period becomes tinged with anxiety. When one returns to the job, one may experience emotions of inadequacy and dissatisfaction due to inadequate support in juggling work and family obligations. These frustrating and disappointing experiences highlight the difficult road ahead for women looking to resume their careers after parental leave. Nevertheless, in spite of these obstacles, women proactively decide to return to the job, starting the second phase of their careers after taking a break.

It takes normative frameworks that morally address the effects of AI use to address these challenges. When it comes to creating guidelines or policies that truly address gender equality, there is a big policy vacuum. With a focus on neutrality and diversity, tech giants like Apple and Google are looking at alternate ways to improve the representation of women in their applications. Gender decoders driven by AI may be extremely helpful in the recruiting process since they remove gender bias from job descriptions. Fair AI-generated decision-making depends on detecting potential biases during algorithm development and data set training.

The AFR published research earlier this year that showed how human recruiters, who were aware of a candidate's gender, gave women far lower scores than males for positions requiring web designers. Women's scores, however, were equal to men's when the gender was hidden. The implementation of an AI tool in the recruiting process resulted in nearly twice as many women being ranked in the top 10% of candidates, demonstrating AI's ability to lessen gender prejudice.

SUMMARY

Concerns about AI's inherent biases are causing people to become more conscious of the need to use AI to challenge gender conventions as well as to avoid these traps. Recruiters understand that a diverse workforce is essential to addressing the glaring gender gap in leadership positions, but some believe that skill-based recruiting is the way of the future. Companies shouldn't behave negatively unless harassment is genuinely experienced. Rather, these cautions need only merely spark an inquiry and conversation.

These reports and ratings should be interpreted similarly to credit scores rather than as allegations. A poor credit score just modifies your risk profile; it doesn't characterise you as a nasty person. You may start working on improving it as soon as you find out why your score is low—whether it's because you were contacted by human resources or because you received a copy of the report. Minimal, gradual changes in mindset and perspective can have a significant impact on fostering empathy and reducing harassment.

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