Where are all the ‘godmothers’ of AI? Women’s voices are not being heard

Amid the coverage of Sam Altman returning to the helm of OpenAI, women are being written out of the future of AI

We are heading toward the best world ever," said Sam Altman in an interview earlier this month, just before the saga of his firing and rehiring as OpenAI's chief executive. As an expert on gender equity in news, this statement made me wonder: whose world was heading towards being the best ever?

As it turns out, the one the Altman team is crafting is largely devoid of women. My analysis amid the furore around his dismissal revealed fascinating insights: for example, of the 702 (out of 750) employees who signed the letter demanding Altman's reinstatement more than 75% were men, a gender imbalance that matches that identified in AI teams in McKinsey's The State of AI in 2022 report.