Output
1) Research Report (with Toolkit)
- Purpose: The Research Report will be an APEC Publication. This report provides an in-depth analysis of women-related challenges faced by AI developers and users across APEC economies. It offers recommendations to enhance AI R&D, and AI deployment, promoting responsible AI development that serves broader societal needs. It will serve as a data- based knowledge resource for policymakers, experts and practitioners.
- Contents:
The contents of Data-based Research Report with Voluntary Toolkit are:
- Executive summary- Overview of key findings, challenges and recommendations.
- Introduction & Background- Explanation of current status of AI development, and women’s engagement with AI.
- AI Adoption Challenges- from AI Developers’ perspective, analysis of key barriers faced by women.
- AI Adoption Challenges-from AI Users’ perspective, gender bias in AI of real-world examples.
- Conclusion & Recommendations- What women need regarding AI and a set of recommendations/voluntary toolkit, serving as reference for both public and private sectors to promote innovation and digital empowerment of women in the AI sector.
The Toolkit will be the last part of the Research Report. This includes:
- Terminology (Definition)
- Principles
- General Self-testing Steps
- Vision and Commitment (please find it in the next row)
vi)Annexes – Additional data, survey results, or reference materials supporting the research.
A survey to all APEC member economies, by online questionnaire/ focus group discussions/ interviews will be carried out to provide crucial support in writing the report, which will consist of a series of questions such as: i)Introduction
ii)Questions regarding Women’s Representation in AI iii)Questions regarding Gender Equality and Inclusion in AI iv)Questions regarding Impact of AI on Women
v)The development of AI related policies
c)Target Audience:
i)Policymakers (APEC governments, industry ministries) ii)Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs
iii)R&D specialists in AI Industry iv)General Public) Minimum Number of Pages: The Research Report is expected to have at least 40 pages, the Toolkit 20 pages, excluding annexes, to ensure a detailed and substantive analysis of Women-friendly Artificial Intelligence.
2) Women-Friendly Artificial Intelligence Toolkit
The Toolkit will be the last part of the Research Report.
This toolkit provides a practical framework for APEC economies, policymakers, industry leaders, and AI practitioners to translate the report’s findings into concrete action (Self-check).
Its voluntary principles and steps are designed to integrate gender considerations throughout the entire AI life cycle—from research and design to use and evaluation—ensuring AI systems are safe, inclusiveand beneficial for women.
Terminology (Definition):
-Gender bias in AI
-Women-friendly AI
-Gender-Disaggregated Data (parts)
Principles
-Safety: data privacy, protection from bias or abuse (e.g., deepfakes).
-Transparency and accountability
-Informed decision-making (to avoid automated choices)
-User control and feedback
-Supportive networks of Women-friendly ecosystem
General Self-testing
-Clear, measurable objectives for integrating women-friendly AI principles
-Training Tutorials for AI developers and managers
Vision and commitment
-Representation of Women in R&D team
-Leadership Roles
-Supportive Network (capacity building)
3) Seminar on Digital Empowerment of Women (Self-Funded)
Workshop 1: Seminar (Day 1 – Self-Funded)
The in-person Seminar of Digital Empowerment of Women: towards a more Women-friendly Artificial Intelligence will be conducted in China (location TBD) as a stand-alone Seminar and will be held in the margins of the APEC Women and the Economy Forum (WEF) (based on schedule of WEF).A very small number of speakers participating via video as an alternative option. It aims to review and discuss the above-mentioned report,share best practices of Women- friendly AI by inviting participants from policymakers and entrepreneurs/ R&D specialists from the industry.
The seminar will include sessions devoted to Policy and Collaboration for balanced participation in AI; Gender Equality and Inclusion in AI;Women’s Representation in AI;Impact of AI on Women; Stakeholder Engagement; AI for Women’s Economic Empowerment.
This seminar will involve speakers from representatives of leading AI research organizations, major tech companies, influential AI startups as well as from APEC Economies for sharing sessions. The tentative agenda of the workshop is as follows:
Day 1
Theme 1: AI Governance:from Women's Perspectives Theme 2: Inclusive and Women-friendly AI Ecosystem
Theme 3: Identifying opportunities and addressing challenges
Theme 4: Stakeholder Engagement ( Discussions and Recommendations)
4) Workshop on Digital Capacity Building
Workshop 2: Capacity Building (Day 2 – APEC-Funded)
The in-person capacity building workshop will be conducted in China 1 day after the first Women-friendly Artificial Intelligence workshop. It aims to enhance women’s digital literacy and skills through expert-led training programs on AI, alongside industry entrepreneurs, to accelerate women’s economic empowerment.
Day 2
Theme 1: AI Governance - Bias-free Research & Development Theme 2: Gender Equality and Inclusion in AI
Theme 3: Women's Representation in AI
Theme 4: Empowering Women through AI- How AI can enhance women’s workforce participation and accessibility
Discussion:
Theme 1: Best Practices of "Women-friendly Artificial Intelligence"
Theme 2: Discussion on key takeaways and how the participants will apply them in their role in home economies
Post-event Survey
Outcome
1) Increased participant knowledge on developing and implementing a more inclusive and women-friendly strategy for AI R&D;
2) Enhanced women’s digital literacy and skills in innovation;
3) Increased engagement with MSMEs—particularly women-led enterprises to empower their adoption of AI-driven business models;
4) Enhanced private sector understanding of how to align business strategies with policy frameworks supporting Women-friendly AI;
5) APEC-wide voluntary toolkit compiling actionable recommendations for member economies.
These outcomes will be measured through a tailored post-Workshop survey of participants.
Beneficiaries
This project aims to invite APEC member economies to analyze opportunities and challenges of AI governance with a focus on women’s participation and leadership in the sector and ethical implications of AI and the need for different stake holders[ APEC Secretariat, AI Governance: Why Cooperation Matters, 2024] etc. This calls for multi-stakeholders to be included in the decision-making process and highlights the value of including underrepresented groups in governance discussions. The beneficiaries will include policymakers, relevant authorities, experts, women entrepreneurs and practitioners of the industry, consumers and other stakeholders.
The primary beneficiaries includes women in technology such as AI entrepreneurs, profession managers, developers, data scientists, researchers. Through participation in the program, they will have the opportunity to build connections and gain essential knowledge of Artificial Intelligence.
The main differentiation between Day 1 and Day 2 beneficiaries are that the participants attending the Day 1 event are primarily management-level professionals, focusing on discussions from a broader industry macro-perspective. Those participating in the Day 2 event are predominantly practitioners/operational-level.
The secondary beneficiaries includes policy makers and regulators from science and technology/women/education/human resource department, as well as consumers/users in general. The evidence based report will provide substantive data to support related regulators to craft women-friendly AI policies.
The program will share and disseminate innovative technology and business ideas, emerging future business trends, encouraging education strategies, and relevant policies. Consequently, it offers significant value to broader stakeholders, such as investors, academic researchers and the general public.
