Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Özdemir Discusses the Link Between Artificial Intelligence and Gender Equality at “Inspiration for the Future” Talks

As part of Borusan Holding’s Inspiration for the Future talk series, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Özdemir joined a special episode marking International Women’s Day on March 8, where she highlighted how data-driven artificial intelligence currently fails to adequately represent women — and emphasized that raising societal awareness is essential for change.

Produced in line with Borusan Holding’s focus areas of climate, people, and innovation, the latest episode of the Inspiration for the Future video series has been released. Offering different perspectives on sustainability, the special Women’s Day edition featured Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Özdemir, a recognized expert in artificial intelligence and data science. Özdemir examined the relationship between AI and gender equality, pointing out that since current datasets are predominantly shaped by a male-dominated worldview, AI systems often exhibit bias against women. She further underlined the critical importance of increasing women’s participation in AI and data science to break these biases and create a more equitable AI ecosystem.

Özdemir also stressed the need for women to engage more actively with generative AI technologies and shared a powerful assessment regarding their role in the future of this field:
“Narrow AI — designed to perform specific tasks in a limited domain — currently reflects a male-dominated perspective because the data it learns from comes from a male-centric humanity. Unless society changes its outlook on women, unless we encourage girls to pursue technology, support women in digital fields, and open space for female pioneers in the industry, this so-called data-driven narrow AI will continue to ignore women for a long time.”

Moderated by Barış Doğru, Editor-in-Chief of EKOIQ, the conversation drew upon Özdemir’s expertise in artificial intelligence, data science, management information systems, decision-making, and mathematical modeling to explore the dynamics between AI and gender equality.

By placing sustainability at the heart of its business processes, Borusan Holding adopts a socially and environmentally responsible approach. Through the Inspiration for the Future series, the company invites experts from various fields to share their insights on the latest sustainability developments and their visions for the future. The monthly talks explore a wide range of themes — including gender equality, youth and the climate crisis, human-nature relationships, the intersection of people and technology, and sustainability in culture and the arts — emphasizing the importance of collaboration between business and society for a sustainable future.
The latest episode of Inspiration for the Future is available to watch on Borusan Holding’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT2XgUfP9OM