Women for Leadership: AI’s Role in Advancing Gender Equality
Explore how AI innovations can address longstanding barriers and create opportunities for women in the workplace.
Naomi Nuta, vice president of marketing at Cogito, delves into GenAI’s potential as a new disruptive force that could reintroduce more women into the workforce and jumpstart the addition of women in more leadership positions in the Fortune 500.
March hosts International Women’s Day each year on the 8th of the month. If we haven’t been focused on gender equality in the workplace for the past 364 days, now is the time. For this International Women’s Day, let us consider the untapped potential of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, specifically Generative AI (GenAI), to support a more continuous, 365-day attention to gender equality in the workplace.
Women in the Fortune 500: Progress Amidst Disruptions
Among the Fortune 500, women comprise about 47% of the workforce, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which has decreased since 2013 by about 9%. We have the COVID-19 pandemic to thank for this decrease. That said, upon a deeper look, we can see that the proportion of women who make up customer service organizations for these enterprises is still dominated by women at a 2:1 ratio. Moreover, Emma Hinchliffe of Fortune reports as of this past year, more than 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women.
Organizations with female CEOs are also more likely to invest in a path that equalizes gender disparities within middle management on the path to the boardroom. Indeed, women make up less than 40% of managers and directors between the frontline and the boardroom, which is even fewer among minorities. Although there are discrepancies by industry, we continue to see evidence that career advancement remains a challenge for women.
Historically, disruptions, whether cultural, technological, or environmental, have driven significant change in how we work, where we work, and, more importantly, who is working. The introduction of GenAI represents a new disruptive force that could reintroduce more women into the workforce and jumpstart the addition of women in more leadership positions in the Fortune 500.
AI and Women in Customer Service: Opportunities and Challenges
GenAI represents the large language models (LLMs), and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) models developed to establish connections between input and output data. This level of specificity is particularly significant in the business world, where information is often scattered across multiple locations and inconsistently maintained.
GenAI models trained for a particular field or to address a specific problem serve as a valuable resource. Unsurprisingly, an increasing number of enterprise leaders are adopting an AI-first approach to expand and manage their companies, according to a June 2023 Gartner Survey by Erick Brethenoux.
A prominent example of AI innovation has already penetrated the contact center, where women comprise most of the workforce. Customer service roles have traditionally attracted women because of their attention to concrete career advancement barriers. Customer service organizations were among the first to champion remote work, where up to 30% of employees worked out of the home before COVID-19. This number has since more than doubled.
Moreover, customer service organizations offered flexible schedules, stable and reliable health insurance programs, and childcare services – all features that appeal to the mothers in the workforce (which represent the majority). Despite these benefits, Brian Eastwood reports for MIT Sloan that contact centers have been notorious for high rates of employee burnout and unfortunate absenteeism or attrition, where 60% attrition could be expected within the first year of employment.
Less often discussed were the infrequent opportunities for career advancement among long-term customer service employees. For example, a recent research paper by MIT calculated that incorporating GenAI tools into the contact center workforce improved productivity by as much as 35%. Indeed, this impact is predominantly felt by women, who are undoubtedly more exposed to GenAI applications.
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Harnessing AI to Jumpstart Career Advancement for Women
When implemented effectively, AI has proven its mettle as a transformative force. Contact center leaders championing AI adoption have seen remarkable improvements in process efficiency and customer service. Let’s consider the telecom industry, for example. AI-powered tools have significantly streamlined customer service interactions, reducing error rates and improving response times. Similarly, AI has revolutionized patient engagement and data management in healthcare, leading to enhanced patient outcomes.
Customer service professionals – already hired for their capacity to listen, empathize, solve complex problems, and overwhelmingly develop deeper customer relationships — are poised to thrive in the AI era. This disruption presents an intriguing prospect. Female leaders at contact centers can harness AI’s power to keep pace and outperform their male counterparts. As the champions of the contact center, they are uniquely positioned to leverage these technological advancements within their workflow, reinforcing the significance of their roles within their organizations.
AI is not a panacea for gender imbalances; its thoughtful and strategic implementation can play a pivotal role in promoting gender equality at work. As we continue to foster customer-centricity and quality training data and improve the customer experience, businesses should embrace AI as a tool for progressive, gender-balanced leadership. With such revolutionary approaches, companies can remain ahead of trends while optimizing their workforces for the challenges of tomorrow.
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AI For Good
It’s easy to misconstrue the increasing integration of AI as a threat to job security. Hesitancy is a common phenomenon across various industries, and not without reason. However, it’s crucial to look beyond initial apprehensions and consider the broader picture of AI’s influence in the workspace. We are not advocating for replacing the human touch but are championing a balance between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, each complementing the other in a harmonious blend.
How are you leveraging the disruptive power of GenAI this women’s day? Let us know on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
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