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AI has sparked an unprecedented era of digital advancement, transforming the tech industry at an accelerated pace. Yet, as organizations race to implement AI, they must prioritize the development of their teams, understanding that fruitful innovation hinges on a diverse, technologically adept workforce.
To achieve this goal, it is crucial to explore women’s unique experiences navigating AI in the male-dominated field. Cultivating this awareness is vital to fostering an equitable approach to AI adoption while promoting sustained parity in tech.
Skillsoft’s 2024 Women in Tech Report reinforces this imperative, examining both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI.
Let’s dive in.
AI-FUELED BREAKTHROUGHS AND ROADBLOCKS
AI has facilitated notable achievements for women in tech, with 39% of respondents indicating that it has helped to create a diverse and inclusive industry.
As organizations emphasize ethical and secure AI solutions, the importance of incorporating women’s insights and forming multi-faceted teams is increasingly recognized. This shift not only acknowledges women’s pivotal contributions but also boosts the capacity to use AI to elevate female talent, mitigate workplace bias, support fair decision-making, and more.
In addition, AI has also proven to be instrumental in driving company-wide success, as 73% report that it has enhanced efficiency and productivity. In this scope, AI automation stands out as a key feature, enabling professionals to simplify repetitive processes and improve daily output.
However, despite this progress, profound hurdles remain.
While 40% of women actively use AI in their roles, 63% express a distinct deficiency in training and resources needed to adapt to AI. This finding points to a persistent skills gap that continues to stifle women’s growth and hinder organizations from leveraging AI.
In fact, this lack of skills and training emerged as the leading barrier to AI integration, ranking alongside the following concerns:
- Low adoption of AI tools
- Cybersecurity and compliance risks
- Inability to scale AI-enabled projects
- Unequal access to AI tools
In light of these issues, many women struggle to maximize the technology’s benefits, with 40% reporting that AI has not meaningfully impacted their work. Only 19% state that it has streamlined tasks, and a mere 18% believe it has allowed for greater attention to macro-level and strategic initiatives.
These observations reveal several existing opportunities to use AI to refine internal operations. Still, to fully harness these advantages, organizations must first provide equitable access to AI education, assuring that their teams are equipped with the skills to embrace this technology.
THE POWER OF UPSKILLING AND RESKILLING
A commitment to continuous learning is central to bridging the AI skills gap and maintaining up-to-date competencies that align with current tech trends. Through comprehensive training, women can build the sought-after skills needed to thrive in the evolving landscape, and organizations can gain a competitive edge in the AI-driven market.
As an initial step in this journey, it is valuable to uncover the latest tools and technologies that women have found particularly useful:
- ChatGPT: Open AI’s ChatGPT is a conversational AI model that can understand and generate human-like text based on the input it receives. It’s designed to perform a wide range of tasks, from answering questions and supplying explanations to creating content and even coding. Use cases include customer service automation, content creation, tutoring, and coding assistance.
- Azure OpenAI Service: Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI is a cloud-based service that offers businesses access to advanced AI models, including GPT- 3 and Codex developed by OpenAI, along with the necessary infrastructure and tools to integrate AI capabilities into their applications. Use cases include optimizing applications with advanced text analysis, language understanding, content creation, and summarization capabilities.
- Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft Copilot provides integrated AI-powered assistance across Microsoft’s suite of products, such as Microsoft 365 and Teams. It aims to increase productivity through contextual assistance, content creation, and automation within Microsoft’s ecosystem. Use cases include drafting emails, creating documents, summarizing meetings, generating reports, and automating repetitive tasks.
Whether you’re an AI novice or seeking to upgrade your expertise, Skillsoft Global Knowledge can offer guidance through these tools and beyond. Our hands-on courses are designed for various skill levels and professional roles, delivering a tailored path toward AI excellence. Consider some of our in-demand training:
- Building Intelligent Applications with AI and ML – Level 1: This introductory-level course, suitable for tech enthusiasts and AI aspirants, covers the foundations of AI, ML, programming, search, and logic, providing the essential building blocks for the development of intelligent applications.
- Mastering AI Security Boot Camp: This intermediate-level course, aimed at technical users interested in the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, focuses on threat mitigation, design and implementation of AI defense systems, and incident response strategies.
- Turbocharge Your Code! Generative AI Boot Camp for Developers: This intermediate to advanced-level course, ideal for experienced programmers, delves into the latest generative AI models, covering the creation of code, documentation, tests, user interfaces, and content.
Want to learn more?
Access the Women in Tech Report for critical data and guidance on the current state of skilling.
Are you ready to elevate your AI expertise?
Discover Skillsoft Global Knowledge’s AI course portfolio and advance your career today.
