Women and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An Examination of the UAE’s National AI Strategy

Governmentsgovernment across the world are jockeying for power in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) by developing national artificial intelligence (AI) strategies. To date, however, only 27 countries, plus the European Union, have coordinated national AI strategies, and despite the importance of “owning the right type of data” and “enabling an AI-capable talenttalent pool,” which undoubtedly must include women, no single national AI strategy outlines women’s inclusioninclusion, or gendergender more broadly, as an exclusive strategic priority. Unfortunately, adequate data and theories regarding this topic are not yet available, and academic research into the political and national strategies around AI beyond national securitysecurity considerations is scant. To assist in informing future research on this topic, this chapter will focus on the following questions: Is ensuring the participation of women in the development, deployment, and governancegovernance of AI vital to the future success, securitysecurity, and prominence of nations in the 4IR? If so, should women’s inclusioninclusion in AI be considered an exclusive priority in national AI strategies? I examine the research questions from a qualitative approach utilising academic research from a variety of fields, such as securitysecurity, business, science, technologytechnology, women and gendergender studies as well as relevant news articles and data from governmentgovernment and intergovernmental organisations. I conclude that women’s inclusioninclusion in AI is a significant factor in ensuring the successful development, deployment, and governancegovernance of AI. I suggest that a potential strategy include women in national AI strategies is “gender mainstreaming,” defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as “the deliberate consideration of gendergender in all stages of program and policy planning, implementation and evaluation, with a view to incorporate the impact of gender at all levels of decision-making.”