As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape our world, a disconcerting pattern and narrative is emerging: Women are being left behind in the AI revolution, writes Kim Wiegand.
Multiple reports show that women are not only underrepresented in the development of AI but are also significantly underinvested in AI-related ventures. The UNESCO Science Report revealed that just 22 per cent of AI professionals globally are women, a statistic that reflects a deeper structural exclusion rather than a mere pipeline problem. Meanwhile, studies by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey highlight that AI funding and leadership opportunities continue to disproportionately favour male-led initiatives, compounding the gap and concentrating influence within a narrow demographic lens.
This disparity isn’t just a matter of fairness; it’s a matter of outcomes. When AI is created by homogenous groups, it inevitably reflects their worldviews, assumptions, and blind spots. From algorithmic hiring tools that undervalue women’s experience to facial recognition systems that misidentify people of colour, bias in AI is not theoretical; it’s embedded in the systems now being deployed at scale across all aspects of our lives. One example showcasing a GenAI model coaching a female candidate to ask for a substantially lower salary than a male with the same experience.
As Cat Moon, founding co-director of VAILL, the Vanderbilt AI + Law Lab, Vanderbilt University Law School, underscored in her keynote in Sydney recently:
“We are seeing a cycle of AI being built through a male lens.”
She noted that we see mostly men making money from AI and tech initiatives, deciding how it will be used and for whom. This is not just a technical issue; it’s an ethical one.
The roots of this inequity run deep in STEM’s longstanding gender imbalance, but the implications are now unfolding in high-stakes environments, particularly in professional services industries like law, consulting, and finance, where AI is increasingly used to make decisions about risk, pricing, talent, and compliance.
In these sectors, the integration of AI into decision making, service delivery, and governance requires diverse voices at the table. Not just in user testing or post-implementation, but at every stage, from design and procurement to oversight and accountability. Without women’s participation in shaping how these tools are built and governed, the systems that power our firms and influence our clients may lack both legitimacy and justice.
And the opportunity cost is enormous. As the World Economic Forum has noted, diverse teams build better technology, with more robust ethical frameworks and greater business relevance. Women bring collaborative leadership, nuanced risk awareness, and stakeholder sensitivity, which are essential for AI systems operating in complex regulatory environments.
As we sit on the edge of mainstream AI deployment in legal and professional services, one truth must guide our path forward:
Who’s in the room matters. And if women aren’t there, neither is the future we want.
At the recent Women in AI APAC Summit in Sydney, I sat shoulder to shoulder with women who are shaping the future of law, data, and technology. What struck me wasn’t just their brilliance; it was the urgency of the moment. Despite their presence, the broader reality remains: most conversations about AI still happen without women in the room.
An overwhelming sentiment that stands out to me is the sentiment outlined above: women are not recognised as driving this change or as involved at the forefront of AI transformation. Why on earth not? The legal industry boasts outstanding female talent, industry quotas on equity in leadership and an appetite to continue evolving. Perhaps now is the time to even the playing field, ensuring that within your firm, women are deeply invested in the shaping and implementation of the tools that will set the tone for the industry for the next era – correct, AI.
Conversations on this topic showcase that legal culture, defined by hierarchy and risk aversion, can stifle innovation, and boy oh boy, do we need to keep innovating. This is an age-old challenge for an industry steeped in such “tradition”. But do women in legal + AI have an edge we should lean into?
To see sustainable innovation that cuts through the noise, research shows us that we need to embrace a shift towards psychological safety, growth mindsets, and empathy, all of which are critical to enabling change.
Psychological safety, as coined by Amy Edmondson, is “a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking”. Google’s internal Project Aristotle validates that psychological safety is the number one factor in high-performing teams. These teams felt more likely to admit mistakes, learn and experiment, all critical behaviours in a changing environment.
Harvard Business Review (2020) published data showing women outperformed men in 13 of 19 leadership competencies, including: inspires and motivates others, builds relationships, and develops others. These are all foundational to psychological safety. Additionally, according to a McKinsey report, Women in the Workplace, teams with female leaders were found to be more psychologically safe and inclusive, especially during high-stakes or crisis situations.
Separately, research by Carol Dweck shows that individuals and organisations with growth mindsets are more resilient and persistent during setbacks, expected during change and transitions. A 2021 report by Zenger and Folkman found women were rated more effective than men in developing others, promoting learning, and taking initiative. All traits that align with growth mindset behaviours.
Finally, a 2021 Catalyst study found that 61 per cent of employees with empathetic leaders reported being able to be innovative, compared to just 13 per cent with less empathetic leadership. The same Catalyst report also outlined that women leaders often use empathy as a lever to build high-trust environments, which is crucial for enabling change.
How are you engaging women to create the ideal change and innovation environment in your firm?
Law firms must be more than consumers of AI; they must become intentional shapers of how it’s developed, governed, and deployed within their firms. And that work must begin with not who is simply in the room, but who is shaping the system from within. Diversity isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s essential infrastructure and supports the traits we need in our evolving cultural journey in legal.
Five questions every firm leader should be asking right now:
One thing is clear: the future of law will be AI-enabled, but whether it is inclusive, ethical, and human-centred is still up for grabs. Leadership in AI is not only about tools and efficiencies, it’s about who we trust to shape the future.
Kim Wiegand is the founder of Julip Advisory.
