AI and the future of work, are we leaving talent (female talent) behind?

Posted in Interesting themes  ·  12th April 2025
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AI and the future of work, are we leaving talent (female talent) behind?

Earlier this year, journalist Ellie Fennell asked a powerful question in Red magazine: “If men are building AI, where does that leave women?” Her article uncovered something deeply important, not just about the future of technology but about who gets to shape it.

At Bright Futures Experience, we talk a lot about preparing young people for the world they’re entering. But what happens if some of those young people are already being left out of the conversation?

A system shaped by men, used by everyone

Artificial intelligence is already a part of daily life — powering playlists, personalising learning, and helping businesses save time. But behind the curtain, there’s a systemic imbalance in who’s creating and using the technology.

The stats speak volumes:

  • Just 29% of the AI workforce are women
  • 54% of men use AI tools like ChatGPT, compared to 35% of women
  • Many AI-powered systems reflect the views, needs and priorities of the people building them… mostly men!

As Ellie Fennell points out, the problem isn’t that women aren’t capable or interested. It’s that the design of the system, the jobs, the culture, the access, isn’t always built for them. And when that happens, we all lose.

Because if AI continues to be built with only one perspective in the room, we risk developing tools and platforms that miss the mark, reinforce bias, or fail to serve half the population properly.

The shift is already happening. AI is being used in:

  • Small businesses to write copy and do admin
  • Education to support revision, summarise notes and generate ideas
  • Content creation, from books to blogs to social media planning
  • Healthcare, HR, marketing, and more

But many young people still see AI as “not for them”, especially girls. And that’s the narrative we need to flip!

What we’re doing to help redress the balance

At Bright Futures Experience, we deliver careers-based workshops in schools. We use diverse role models in all of our programmes and introduce students to organisations that champion diversity and can support them on their career journey.

In our sessions, we:

  • Explore how AI is already being used in the workplace.
  • Encourage students try AI tools for themselves, from revision apps to creative idea generators
  • Discuss practical, human skills that AI can’t replicate
  • Highlight the gender imbalance and ask what needs to change

We also align our work with Gatsby benchmarks, helping schools deliver meaningful, future-facing careers education that matters.

Final thoughts

Ellie Fennell’s article is a must-read, not just for women in tech, but for anyone interested in fairness, opportunity, and the future of work. If we want AI to serve everyone, then everyone needs to be involved in shaping it.

And that starts with schools. If we don’t address the gender gap in AI literacy and confidence now, we risk hardwiring inequality into the very systems young people will rely on.

Let’s not wait for change. Let’s help create it.

Want your students to be future-ready and develop enterprise and employability skills?

Find out more about our employability and enterprise workshops at in the workshops section of this website.

Reference:

  • Fennell, Ellie (2024). “If men are building AI, where does that leave women?”, Red magazine, April 2024 edition.


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