Women seen playing bigger role in shaping AI sector

Women are moving from participating in artificial intelligence to helping shape its development, as AI reshapes industries, labor markets and business models, a senior executive said.

Nina Huang, senior vice-president of DataCanvas, said women are becoming increasingly active in China's digital economy and are gaining a bigger role in the development of AI.

Women now account for more than half of entrepreneurs in China's internet sector, while in emerging digital industries such as e-commerce, livestreaming and digital trade, they make up roughly one-third of the workforce, Huang said.

In 2024, more than 14,000 women in China obtained professional certification as AI trainers, representing 40 percent of all recipients, she said.

AI and mobile connectivity are creating new opportunities for women, Huang said, citing rural entrepreneurs selling agricultural products through livestreaming and traditional artisans expanding markets through digital platforms.

However, she said women still need a stronger voice in areas that shape the direction of AI, including product strategy, technology governance and policy design.

She also warned that AI systems trained on historical data may reproduce gender bias, while automation could affect jobs where women have traditionally been concentrated, such as administration, customer service and data processing.

Companies should play a bigger role in lowering technology barriers and promoting inclusive development, Huang said.

She said DataCanvas' recently announced AI Factory strategy aims to reduce the cost of AI production and delivery through systematic engineering innovation, helping more enterprises, small businesses and individual entrepreneurs access AI services.

"She and AI is not only a story about women — it is a story about the future of AI itself," Huang said.