The AI Revolution Needs Women: International Women’s Day Sparks Movement to Bring Parity in Tech

The AI revolution is projected to drive a $15.7 trillion impact on the global economy by 2030[1], but it poses a significant risk to women if they do not have the opportunity to upskill. Recent studies show a 42-percentage point gap in reported AI skills between men (71%) and women (29%)[2]. As AI reshapes 22% of jobs worldwide, Hannah Maude, founder of Fire Up Skills and Alex Dalman of global creative agency, VCCP, have decided to do something about it.

With risk comes huge opportunity and on 13th March, Maude and Dalman will hold an all-day event, Women & Al: Future Ready, focused on upskilling and inspiring women from all backgrounds. An impressive roster of speakers includes a keynote from Priya Lakhani - an advisor to the UK Government on AI, CEO of AI education company Century and co-host of BBC’s AI Decoded will be joined by experts from Accenture, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Salesforce will share tangible insights whilst VCCP’s AI creative agency, faith will share their founding story.

The event is aimed at women seeking to learn about the evolving landscape of AI, its impact on various industries and the role they can play in it. It will educate attendees on topics from personal AI adoption to organisational leadership, with inspiration and connection a focus throughout.

Hannah Maude, founder of Fire Up Skills, said, “With a predicted 59% of the workforce needing AI training by 2030, the distinction between 'tech' and 'non-tech' roles is disappearing. The question isn't whether AI will transform your job - it's whether you'll lead that transformation, this represents an opportunity if we act.

“Our research shows that women often find AI training too hypothetical; we're changing that by showing how to use AI, how to plan an AI project, and how to champion relevant AI business cases in your organisation.

“The event falls just after International Women’s Day and the theme ‘Future Ready’ ties in perfectly with the IWD theme ‘March Forward’. We want to give women access to new skills to both demystify AI, and also empower women who attend. AI could level the playing fields but it can seem overwhelming. Many women who attend my events have talked about building a safer future, we need that ambition when it comes to the AI age.”

Turning Risk into Opportunity 

The stakes are high. With women occupying more administrative and knowledge-based roles, they face a higher risk of initial job displacement. However, their diverse experiences and perspectives make them uniquely qualified to shape AI transformation.

Adding to this, the traditional narrative around women in technology has focused on getting more women into the tech sector. When it comes to AI, there needs to be a spotlight on how each business function is adopting AI. AI isn't IT's sole responsibility anymore. Whether in marketing, finance, HR, operations, all roles are now tech roles. The real opportunity is leveraging women's deep business expertise to drive AI innovation from within their existing roles.

The formula for success, according to Maude, is simple but powerful: Experience + New Skills + Attitude = High Performance. “Your past experience is the key ingredient when it comes to AI and how you use it. Looking ahead is a smart thing to do. I hope many new exciting careers can be forged because people have taken agency around their role in the AI age,” she adds.

This equation drives everything about Women & AI: Future Ready, from its practical approach to its emphasis on real-world applications.

“What VCCP did with the creation of faith, the AI creative agency, is the type of leadership we need to see more of. Alex Dalman led a team of creative and technical professionals to test and learn what worked in advertising and what didn’t. One year on and they have already amassed incredible success - including O2’s anti-scamming Granny, Daisy which has taken the world by storm. We are excited to see what innovation and progress we see from attendees after this event’.

"We have a choice," Maude concludes: "We can either let AI perpetuate existing inequalities, or we can use it as a catalyst for change. Through Fire Up Skills, we're choosing to lead that change, ensuring women are at the forefront of the economic opportunity and hands on in building a safe future”.

Alex Dalman, managing partner and head of social and innovation at VCCP notes, 'When we set up our AI creative agency, faith, one of our main missions was to make Gen AI accessible to everyone. We are thrilled to be working with Fire Up Skills on this event, and supporting their mission to ensure there is parity within the workforce from a gender perspective, in ensuring equal opportunities for learning and development.'

For business leaders and professionals interested in being part of this transformation, more information about the Women & AI: Future Ready event can be found here.