With the UK facing significant AI skills shortages, new research suggests a sharper focus on boosting workforce diversity will be required to meet government AI training plans.
A new study from BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT found the proportion of women working in tech has risen to 22%. While the marks a welcomed - albeit small - increase of 1%, the institute noted there’s still a lot of work to be done.
At present, 441,000 women work in specialist IT roles across the country, but BCS said this means roughly half a million women are still “missing” from the workforce if an equal gender split were present.
BCS said the report comes at a critical time for the UK tech sector, with enterprises ramping up AI adoption and the government pushing for a rapid roll-out of tools across the public sector.
Skills shortages have been a long-running challenge for the tech sector, and AI is now exacerbating the issue. In a report earlier this year, IT leaders said finding talent with AI-related skills was one of their leading challenges.
BCS is urging leaders from the tech industry and government to sharpen their focus on closing the gender diversity gap and accelerate upskilling plans laid out in the AI Action Plan.
Part of the government’s AI strategy centers around boosting skills to compensate for growing demand for AI talent. All told, the government aims to retrain or upskill around 7.5 million workers in AI with support from big tech companies.
With women still underrepresented in the sector, BCS said there is a “significant opportunity to ‘supercharge’ the AI capacity of the UK” by boosting diversity and recruiting from other minority groups in tech. This includes workers with disabilities and those over the age of 50.
Recommendations outlined in the BCS report include ensuring that digital literacy and computing skills are “embedded across the curriculum and support girls to stay engaged beyond the age of 14”.
Higher investment in programs aimed at supporting and promoting women to pursue tech careers, or return to the industry, is another key recommendation.
"Accelerating the numbers of women in tech roles is both a challenge, and an opportunity for every organization building Britain’s digital future,” said BCS chief executive Sharron Gunn.
“We cannot create high-trust, high-integrity AI systems if the profession behind them is missing out on the talents and perspective of half the population. Diversity is not a cosy add on but a prerequisite for safe, fair and innovative technology, especially in AI.”
Diverse teams build responsible AI
Aside from boosting broader tech sector diversity, research shows diverse teams will be crucial in AI development moving forward.
Analysis from IBM earlier this year, for example, found a lack of senior female leadership figures in business could hamper responsible development strategies.
69% of respondents told IBM they believe it’s important that female leaders are involved in AI decision-making, while 73% said improving female representation will help tackle AI-related gender bias issues.
Crucially, gender diversity in senior leadership has a tangible impact on economic performance, the study found.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents said increasing female leadership roles will be vital to ensure all corners of society will experience benefits from the technology.
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