This week, the “world’s first Miss AI” digital beauty contest was announced with $5000 prize awarded based on beauty and skill using AI tools. One tech expert predicted that the AI girlfriend industry could hit $1B in revenue soon despite multiple reports of how the creators of these digital companions may be hoarding your private data.
While these issues could adversely affect people of any gender, one report found that 96% of all deepfakes online are non-consensual fake videos of women. Clearly the tools pose a disproportionate risk to women, which is one reason why the UK recently approved legislation to criminalize creating sexually explicit deepfake images. This is one positive step. Another is seeing more marketing campaigns and commitments like the recent one from Dove Real Beauty pledging not to use AI in their advertising.
Ultimately, the thing that will have the biggest impact though is more women working in fields where AI technologies are being used and developed. TechCrunch has a podcast dedicated to interviewing some of the women behind the AI revolution. There are a growing number of events such as the Women In AI Flagship Summit that are offering learning and networking opportunities for women, and communities like the 6000+ member global non-profit WomenofAI.org are working hard to connect women working (or aspiring to work) in AI roles with one another.
For us to live in a world that has more than digital beauty pageants and AI-girlfriends, these events and communities that empower women will need all of our support. The world would be a pretty empty and soulless place if we continue to allow AI tools to manipulate or take away the voices of real women
