As AI governance discussions move forward, an important question remains: What guiding principles, indicators and accountability mechanisms are needed to make Ai governance commitments meaningful in practice?
AI systems are not neutral. They are designed, trained, deployed, evaluated and governed within social economoc and political structures that reflect existing inequalities. As a result, they reproduce and amplify discrimination, exclusion, surveillance, exploitative labour practices, oppression, human rights violations and war crimes. Research has demonstrated that the impacts of AI are not experienced equally. Women and girls, gender-diverse people, and other historically marginalised groups are distinctly and disproportiately affected by these harms while remaining underrepresented in the institutions, processes, leadership and industries that shape AI development and governance.
The Global Digital Compact and WSIS+20 have already affirmed gender equality within their digital governance frameworks. The first-ever Global Dialogue on AI Governance is an opportunity for governments and decision-makers to embed that feminist commitment into AI governance from the start.
Read the principles here.
The Gender in Digital Coalition (GiDC) is a global feminist coalition that works to promote and ensure intersectionality and gender mainstreaming in global digital governance frameworks. Initiated in 2023 by Alliance for Universal Digital Rights, Association for Progressive Communications, Derechos Digitales, Equality Now, IT for Change, Pollicy, UNFPA, UN Women, World Wide Web Foundation (and now represented by Open Data Collaboratives), and Women at the Table to advocate for inclusion of gender across the international policy landscape, including the Global Digital Compact and Pact for the Future. During the WSIS+20 process and related Geneva digital governance discussions, coalition members are advancing concrete proposals for integrating gender-responsive indicators across the WSIS Action Lines.