Artificial Intelligence (or AI) is a topic that multiplies in controversy by the day. From community outrage over undiscussed data centers to the promotion of integrating AI to replace human workers, there is a growing exhaustion with the artificial intelligence bubble.Â
As executives of lucrative AI companies are quickly backtracking on the demand for AI, there is a lot of uncertainty left in the air. It’s trippy to think that we couldn’t even begin to comprehend these discourses three years ago. But an interesting conversation has emerged that women should be just as eager to use AI in order not to be “left behind.”
Reese is a feminist… and businesswoman
The first time I came across this take was through Reese Witherspoon. In an Instagram post, she captioned with, “The AI revolution has begun, and I need to learn as much as I possibly can about AI and share it with all of you. Also, FYI: The jobs women hold are 3x more likely to be automated by AI, yet women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men on average. We don’t want to be left behind. So… do you want to learn with me?”
Previous experience proves that Reese has not always held success in her earnest to frame technological opportunities as feminist. Witherspoon had a similar approach to NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) when they first took off. Remember those Justin Bieber monkeys?
She advertised the World of Women NFT and even had plans to convert existing World of Women NFT’s into films. But shortly after sharing her support for NFT’s, the bubble popped and so did the opportunity to equal the playing field for women in the non-fungible token space.
This leads me to question the emphasis on “being left behind”. Why should we rally for a technology that seeks to not only replace me, but use any interaction with me to extract my knowledge, perspective, and individualism?
At first, I brushed it off as Reese Witherspoon being able to make a lucrative investment while saying she was supporting the girls, but this sentiment has seemed to follow me everywhere I turn. Keke Palmer, Sandra Bullock, Natasha Lyonne, Serena Williams, the list just goes on and on. Each woman acknowledge that AI can be dangerous, economically and ecologically extractive, and relies on the theft and destruction of previous information. However, that acknowledgment is quickly followed up with, “but as women we are vulnerable so we must empower ourselves by using these LLM’s”.
Perhaps I would be less harsh or skeptical if these opinions were voiced by working-class women. Each of the influential figures above are millionaires respected within their industries for their talent, and a majority of them are conveniently invested in the success of AI.
the spread of AI endangers everyone
With this context, is “keeping up” with AI feminist? Or is this a push from wealthy Western feminists to monopolize less educated women and tell them to utilize AI in a way that will benefit them?Â
Is it being a “girls girl” to ignore that the world is dying, and that AI places women in compromising positions (such as generating nude images of them), or to contribute to a technological system that exploits marginalized communities?Â
Elon Musk is the richest man in the world who has violated American safety, donated heavily to the Trump presidential campaign, and created a tool in which predators can generate nude images of women and children alike. So, is the alternative to turn towards Serena Williams or Reese Witherspoon’s AI? Is the technology built off of the same standards and systems? How is this “feminist” alternative any different? Who is truly being empowered here?
ai and feminism aren’t compatible
To me, the answer is clear. These are very wealthy women who have a global platform. With that platform comes a level of influence I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Despite their previous claims that they care for the marginalized (and maybe they do), this is a business transaction for them.Â
At the end of the day, I’m being told that I’m uneducated about AI, placing myself at a disadvantage for not listening to their advice, and contributing to women being disenfranchised in our patriarchal society.Â
How has this approach, their personal portfolios, or messaging assisted me? The truth is, it hasn’t. If anything, the continued push of AI being vital for women has increased my feelings of loneliness, disappointment, and exhaustion. No matter how the matter is spun, women are a marginalized identity utilizing a tool that isn’t built to benefit us.
Recent research has even found that by employing AI into our lives, women are seen as less capable than their male peers. Ultimately, their messaging is a rhetoric that seeks to support AI, excuse its harmful character, and buy into a specific alternative that is shown as “girl power!”
No amount of pink or glitter can excuse the fact that if I give into these discourses, another woman who is less economically stable, lives in a nation that doesn’t guarantee environmental protections, or doesn’t have my level of autonomy, will be suffering because of me.
Solidarity does not need to be built within the artificial intelligence space. Rather, we need to stand together, listen to one another, and truly prioritize all women.