The AI industry is booming. Women are getting left behind

A new report from LinkedIn highlights a growing gender disparity in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence sector. While AI jobs are seeing significant growth and higher salary premiums, women remain underrepresented, accounting for only a quarter of new hires in AI-specific roles and just 13% of executive positions. Experts warn that women are disproportionately concentrated in lower-paying, high-risk roles, such as data annotation, leaving them vulnerable to job displacement. Furthermore, systemic barriers—including non-inclusive workplace cultures, a lack of mentorship, and the scaling back of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs—are hindering advancement. Advocates caution that without targeted intervention, the current trend risks creating a significant long-term gender pay gap and a power imbalance, as women are increasingly excluded from shaping the technologies that are defining the future of the global economy.