A not-for-profit organisation has launched to promote gender diversity and inclusion in tech and ensure the artificial intelligence revolution is moulded by a diverse range of voices.

Women in AI Australia has been founded by three leading tech entrepreneurs and experts and will act as a representative body to champion the equal representation of women in the artificial intelligence sector.

The organisation’s CEO Nikki Meller, who also leads tech consultancy Credued, said that women are currently less likely to participate in, and benefit from, the rise of AI and its expansion across the economy.

“Women in AI Australia exists because Australia is entering an AI-driven future with a gender gap so wide it threatens to lock women out of the next generation of jobs, leadership and economic opportunity,” Meller told Information Age.

“AI is shaping every industry, yet women remain underrepresented in the design, governance and policy settings that will determine how AI reshapes our society.”

Where are the women in AI?

According to the organisation, while women make up just under half of Australia’s AI workforce, they are severely underrepresented when it comes to technical work, taking up just 20 per cent of these roles.

There is also a significant trust gap when it comes to the technology, with a recent report by Deloitte finding that while 70 per cent of men are using generative AI in the workplace currently, just 50 per cent of women are doing so.

Previous research has also found that just under 45 per cent of AI systems show some gender bias, and a quarter have both gender and racial biases.

The new organisation will offer a range of practical initiatives and policy leadership, along with workshops and events, funding pathways, mentorship and networking opportunities.

It will also play an advocacy role in pushing for “safe, transparent and responsible AI usage” in education, the government and the private sector.

Along with Meller, Women in AI Australia has been founded by small business and communities expert Amanda Rose, and the founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial and Small Business Women Australia and Western Sydney Women, Dr Juliana Peloche.

Rose said that there is currently an “urgent need” to push for responsible, transparent and equitable AI development.

“If we don’t act now, we risk building an AI-powered future that doesn’t reflect half the population’s perspective,” Rose said.

“Our mission to connect and empower women and girls across Australia, whether in education, business or their local communities will bridge that gap before it becomes more entrenched.”

The organisation will also place a significant focus on amplifying the voices of women and girls in regional and remote areas of the country.

“Diversity in AI is essential because Australia simply cannot meet its future workforce and innovation needs without women,” Meller said.

“Closing this gap isn’t just a matter of fairness, it is an economic necessity.

“Without dramatically improving women’s participation, Australia will not have the talent pipeline required to compete in an AI-driven economy.”

Meller also said that women are disproportionately exposed to job losses due to AI but are currently underrepresented when it comes to AI-enabled careers.

“If this imbalance is not addressed intentionally, AI could widen the gender pay gap, entrench economic inequality and push women further out of the workforce over time,” she said.

‘Significant gap’

The formation of the new body comes just weeks after the federal government announced a new light-touch approach to AI regulation, opting not to introduce standalone AI laws or to introduce previously mooted “guardrails”.

In this approach, the government has promised ubiquitous public sector AI and engagement with the unions to manage potential job losses due to the technology.

The government’s approach will be based on three core goals: capturing the opportunity of AI, spreading the benefits of AI, and keeping Australians safe when they use AI.

Instead of new legislation, the government has committed to “ongoing review and adaptation” of privacy, copyright and healthcare laws and “practical, risk-based protections that are proportionate, targeted and responsive to emerging AI risks”.

While welcoming the government’s AI strategy, Meller said there is a “significant gap” with its lack of exploration of structural inequalities shaping the risk of automation and feminised industries.

“The lack of analysis on women’s digital inclusion, AI capability gaps, barriers to retraining or access to STEM pathways means the report captures only part of the picture,” she said.

“Women are mentioned just five times, without any modelling of long-term economic impacts, workforce transitions or the potential for AI to widen the gender pay gap.

“The absence of depth signals not only a policy blind spot, but also a clear opening to design targeted initiatives that position women to lead, not lag, in Australia’s AI future.”