Education, diversity and progress

Abstract Around the world, girls and women are much less likely to be able to access a good education, and even in countries like the UK, stereotyping can deter girls from pursuing careers in subjects like the physical sciences, engineering and computing. Yet, many daily decisions require some understanding of basic science concepts, and the potential absence of the voices of women means that many problems affecting them may get overlooked or remain unfunded This is the case, for instance, for many diseases that affect only or predominantly women, such as endometriosis. As AI grows in its centrality in our society, bias that may be introduced by its outputs is likely only to make the inequalities even worse for future generations. The world economy is impacted by the loss of diverse voices, and individuals may be hindered or even significantly harmed. Change needs to happen for equitable progress.