Girls shaping the future of AI: Why inclusivity matters now

This letter was written collaboratively by members of the Inde-Women's-Network, a network created to support, connect, and empower women working in technology across all career stages. We wrote it for our daughters, nieces, and the girls growing up in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and for the parents, whānau, mentors, and allies who care deeply about the world they are growing into. As an industry, we are acutely aware that AI reflects the data and perspectives of the people who build it. When diversity is missing at the design stage, unconscious bias does not just persist, it scales. That reality is confronting, but it is also motivating.

Dear girls,

You're likely unaware right now, but the world around you is going through a huge change. This change is happening fast, and by the time you're grown up like us, it will be the normal. You might already know what is causing it, and if you don't, that's okay – you're just a kid! It's called Artificial Intelligence, or AI, and it came into the world fast and has already changed a lot of how we work, create and play.

In essence, it makes us able to do things at work and in our everyday, much, much faster. There is a lot of good that can come out of it, but the truth we owe you is that it is not neutral. It reflects the perspectives and data of the people who build it and unfortunately as women are still underrepresented in technology jobs, this means in the case of AI our voices and opinions are getting out numbered in the design conversation. Today, this is not out of malice, or foul play but rather a reflection of systemic failure. For a long-time, women, people of colour and other minority groups weren't allowed in certain places, or to be part of certain conversations. While this has changed positively over the years, there is a still a lot of work to do.

That is why we're writing you this letter, not to scare you, but to encourage you. You see with AI, the assumptions that are embedded into the systems are not just repeated, they are amplified. That means if the female perspective is left out now, we're amplifying a point of view many women have actively tried to balance for decades. This matters for everyone, but it especially matters for you. When you grow up, we want AI to benefit you, not frustrate you.

If there is one thing we want you to take away from this letter, it's confidence.

Confidence to experiment, be curious and play with technology, ask 'dumb' questions and don't let anyone tell you that your thinking is wrong – it's likely a perspective they haven't considered yet.

Confidence to question outcomes and think critically. AI can produce an  answer, but it might not always be correct.    When presented with any information, especially from AI sources, never forget to question: Who created this? What is their motivation? What do they want from me? Fakery is not a new spectre, but AI makes it easy, fast, and harder to trace. The American Consumer Council states that women account for up to 80% of consumer purchasing, which means we are going to be targeted more than our male counterparts not only for consumer advertising, but also scams and fraud. The most effective protection you have against this is your own ability to think critically and question.

Confidence to embrace your femininity. Female characteristics are the future. If you want to know how to protect your job or create a career path in the world of AI, work out what parts of a job are inherently human and double down on those aspects. This means that the very characteristics that the world has devalued in females for generations around emotional intelligence (think empathy, reading the room, moral judgements etc.) are now the skills of the future – embrace them with confidence.

Confidence to be selective with how you show up – both in person and especially online.  Sometimes the information you are sharing is more personal or private than you realise. Pictures of yourself, your address or location, the people you live with - once they are on the internet you can never undo that. Even if you are not consciously using AI, AI makes that data a lot easier to process and mine in the background. Don't make yourself or the people you love vulnerable by oversharing.    

And finally, confidence to know that the future is still open. AI and technology are not fixed. It will be shaped by those who engage, question deeply, and lead thoughtfully. We believe you belong among them and it is our responsibility to make sure the door stays open.

To those building technology today: This letter is also for us. W   e want girls shaping the digital future, we need to act well before careers begin. That means encouraging confidence early, normalising AI literacy for everyone, and creating environments where questioning, experimentation, and diverse leadership are expected, not exceptional. This is not about optics. It's about building better systems and seeing the opportunity in change to "do better" than previous generations.  

Your sincerely,

The Inde Women's Network