Algorithms, AI, and the New Face of Gender Bias: What ‘Invisible Women’ Warns Us About the Digital Future

How Technology Is Repeating—and Amplifying—Old Biases in Shocking New Ways

We like to think of technology as objective, logical, and fair. But as ‘Invisible Women’ reveals, the digital world is just as biased as the physical one—sometimes even more so. Algorithms and AI, when trained on data that ignores women, end up repeating and amplifying old prejudices in new, powerful ways.

Take hiring algorithms. If they learn from historical data—where men were hired more often—they’ll favor male candidates, even if they’re programmed to be ‘neutral.’ Voice assistants often struggle to recognize female voices, and facial recognition software is less accurate for women, especially women of color.

Online platforms also mirror real-world biases. Wikipedia has fewer articles about women, and those that exist are often less detailed. Even emojis and avatars can reinforce stereotypes, making women less visible online.

The solution is not to abandon technology, but to build it better. That means collecting inclusive data, designing for diversity, and ensuring that women are part of tech teams at every level. ‘Invisible Women’ is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of technology—and the future of equality. 1 2 3