By Dr Grace Githaiga
When we talk about “gendering AI,” we’re talking about one of the biggest problems facing our digital age. We are discussing how gender norms, prejudices, and power structures that have disadvantaged women for ages are either upheld or challenged by artificial intelligence systems.
Today, only 22% of AI workers globally are women, and in Africa, over 90% of women live in countries with significant gender gaps and women’s empowerment deficits. But here’s what’s even more alarming: as AI becomes the backbone of our digital future, we risk embedding these inequalities deeper into the very systems that will govern our lives.
The data is stark: 99% of gender-based violence situations now involve technology-facilitated abuse, and 95% of AI-generated deepfakes target women with obscene content. This is not just a statistic; it’s a crisis that demands immediate action.
The Beijing Promise: 30 Years of Broken Digital Dreams
Thirty years ago, at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, 189 governments committed to ensuring women’s equal access to economic resources, including science and technology. Yet today, as we stand at the threshold of the AI revolution, African women are being left behind once again.
Are we going to allow the same narrative that excluded women from previous technological revolutions to repeat itself?
Kenya’s National AI Strategy 2025-2030 recognises this urgency, positioning our nation as Africa’s leader in AI model development while emphasising innovation with responsibility and respect for human rights.
The Power of Language: KICTANet’s Groundbreaking Work
At KICTANet, one of our research studies conducted in 2023, Unmasking Trolls, revealed that technology-facilitated gender-based violence in Kenya is predominantly perpetrated in local languages—yet most AI content moderation systems cannot detect these harmful expressions.
Kenya’s 60 local languages remain largely invisible to large language models and AI tools. This means that when a woman in rural Kenya faces online abuse in Dholuo, Gikuyu, or Somali, the digital platforms designed to protect her fail.
We have been working on TFGBV lexicons in Swahili, Gikuyu, Dholuo, Luhya, Iteso, and Somali languages. Each lexicon documents over 50 harmful terms, euphemisms, idioms, and cultural expressions used to target women and girls online. We aim to contribute to safeguarding women as we collaborate with platforms.
Beyond Digital Literacy: AI Literacy for All
There is a need to move beyond basic digital literacy. In 2025, AI literacy is the new frontier of empowerment. We need policies that build advanced capacity among African women, ensuring that, as African women, we are not just consumers of AI but creators, innovators, and leaders in AI development.
Consider the untold stories—like those shared by African Uncensored yesterday about three ordinary young women in rural areas who suffered devastating consequences from technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
These women, often invisible to mainstream narratives, must be at the centre of our AI revolution. How do we use AI to onboard them? How do we ensure they build with AI and emerging technologies rather than being harmed by them?
The Path Forward: From Exclusion to Leadership
Currently, we have digital literacy programs that foster awareness of AI bias, encourage women to pursue AI careers, and catalyse growth in women-led AI projects. But we need more than programs—we need a fundamental shift in how we design, develop, and deploy AI systems. We need clear policy support, attention and support (affirmative action) in implementing these programs. We need:
- Gender-responsive AI policies that address the unique challenges faced by African women
- Inclusive datasets that reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of our continent
- Women-led AI startups
- Multilingual AI systems that can protect women speaking in local languages
- Collaborative research that bridges the gap between academic institutions, civil society, and industry
A Call to Action: The Time is Now
Ladies and gentlemen, we stand at a crossroads. We can either allow AI to become another tool of exclusion or we can gender AI to become an instrument of liberation and empowerment for African women.
To policymakers: Integrate gender considerations into every AI policy framework. Support initiatives like KICTANet’s lexicon project across Africa. Ensure that AI governance includes the voices of women, especially those from marginalised communities.
To technologists and platforms: Build AI systems that understand and respect our linguistic diversity. Train your models on inclusive datasets. Design with safety and privacy as core components, not afterthoughts.
To civil society organisations: Advocate for lexicon projects across Africa similar to those being done by KICTANet. Document the unique ways technology-facilitated gender-based violence manifests in your communities.
To international partners: Channel your investments through local institutions that understand contextual relevance. Support capacity building that goes beyond basic digital literacy to advanced AI literacy.
To young African women: This is your moment. The AI revolution is happening now, and it needs your creativity, your perspectives, and your leadership. Don’t wait for permission—build, innovate, and lead.
The Beijing Platform for Action promised us equality 30 years ago. Let us not wait for another 30 years for digital equality. The future of AI in Africa depends on the choices we make today.
The time for action is now. The time for gendering AI for justice, inclusion, and empowerment is now!
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Dr Grace Githaiga, CEO of KICTANet’s Keynote Speech – at the Gendering AI Conference 2025