AI is changing work and society in ways not seen since Ford’s assembly line and Gutenberg’s printing press. As AI reshapes industries, it is crucial that we address equitable access to the technology, the opportunities it provides, and the skills needed to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The trillion-dollar AI impact is evident everywhere you look. Meta, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft plan to invest $320 billion in AI, with GenAI, inspired by innovations such as ChatGPT, driving investment in graphics processing units (GPUs) and AI data centres. Microsoft alone has earmarked $80 billion in 2025 to create AI data hubs.
AI is also becoming dominant in leading global economies. China’s AI market is expected to be worth over $700 billion by 2030, with Generative AI forecast to add $575.1 billion to the European economy by 2030. The global AI market is currently valued at around $243 billion. As AI investment accelerates, societal, STEM and AI skills inequity must not be imported into the emerging technology space, and this is a challenge particularly facing the UK.
Unpacking the UK’s ambition to be an AI superpower
If the UK is to realise its ambitions and become an AI superpower, then the country must think big. This means first closing the tech skills gap, which would cost an estimated £63 billion a year. The UK government’s AI opportunities action plan pledges to create over 13,000 jobs in the tech sector, whereas the US projects 356,700 openings each year in tech and IT.
Even accounting for the UK’s modest tech jobs targets, there aren’t enough skilled professionals in the UK to fill the roles. IT, tech and AI positions are the hardest to recruit for in 2025, and 43% of UK business leaders are considering hiring international talent instead.
Compounding the issue is the ongoing challenge of attracting more women into STEM careers. UK Government data shows women in further education in the UK are currently less likely to study STEM subjects than men, with men more likely to study maths, computer science and physics.
The lack of women in STEM is reflected by the comparative lack of women studying GenAI. Cousera’s ‘Closing the Gender Gap in GenAI Skills’ playbook, reveals UK enrollments in GenAI courses on Coursera soared by 227% over the past year, yet just 31% of these UK learners are women.
Outlining the challenges behind the AI gender skills gap
The gender AI skills gap exposed by Coursera reflects the findings of the World Economic Forum Report in 2023 which found that of those working in AI only 30% are women. The problem is persistent and we must understand the underlying causes of it.
Many women cite the “lack of time” as their main reason for discontinuing STEM courses, reflecting the challenge of balancing caregiving and work responsibilities. We found women are also underestimating the value of GenAI, with 36% of women believing GenAI can advance their careers, compared to 45% of men.
Women also hesitate to engage in GenAI courses due to a lack of confidence. On Coursera, women are six times more likely to enroll in beginner-level GenAI courses than intermediate ones, indicating a preference for more attainable access to the technology.
Women are more likely to engage when GenAI’s through practical applications in healthcare, education, and tasks from our daily lives. This underscores the need for interdisciplinary GenAI courses, personalised learning and mentorship to support AI course completion rates among female learners.
Not just a tick-box exercise: tackling AI gender gaps to improve innovation
The consequences of women being underrepresented in STEM impacts various UK sectors, perpetuating gender pay gaps, limiting innovation, and hindering the development of a diverse workforce.
Likewise, under representation can result in gender bias when female perspectives are missing from AI development. A study by the Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership analysed 133 AI systems across different industries and found 44% showed gender bias, and 25% exhibited both gender and racial bias.
Bias in AI often results from cognitive bias, the tendency for judgments and information processing to be influenced by personal experiences, which shapes how datasets are selected and used. For example, cognitive bias could lead to favoring datasets gathered from one nationality rather than from various global populations. In the report Towards a Standard for Identifying and Managing Bias in Artificial Intelligence’, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) noted: “human and systemic institutional and societal factors are significant sources of AI bias as well, and are often overlooked.”
Without intervention, AI may develop alongside subjective, emotional and political lines. Where bias is present, AI-backed services risk adopting narrow perspectives, reducing service quality, and negatively influencing decisions within critical sectors such as employment, credit, healthcare, and insurance.
How can we build AI better for the future?
The need to close the AI skills gap is heightened by AI’s threat to jobs. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report finds four in ten (41%) employers plan to reduce their workforce in response to AI enabled automation, with postal service clerks, executive secretaries and payroll clerks most at risk of a software-sunset.
Yet, encouragingly, eight out of ten (77%) employers in the same report said they were planning to train existing workers to work alongside AI and seven out of ten (70%) companies are planning to hire talent with skills to design AI tools. Six in ten (62%) intend to recruit more people with skills to better work alongside AI.
This is why it’s critical to course correct now in terms of AI strategy and skilling investment. Working progressively and importing balanced perspectives into AI development and integration will strengthen the health of our industries. With the impressive debut of ChatGPT two and a half years ago, AI is out of the bottle, and now as it continues to impact society and the world of work, we have an opportunity to change industry for the better.
