[Interview] AI threatens to deepen gender gaps — unless women seize the tools, says computer expert
by https://euobserver.com/author/zuzana-vitkova/ · EUobserverMária Bieliková. Source: Tomáš Hrivňák.
Unlock article and share
By Zuzana Vitková,
Bratislava
,
Mária Bieliková began studying computer science before the World Wide Web was launched from CERN in 1989. She has lived through the development of programming from punch cards, which stored instructions for computers, to large language models, which allows almost anyone to write basic code.
Mária Bieliková founded the Kempelen Institute of Intelligent Technologies which she leads. She previously served as dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava.
Bieliková explained how artificial intelligence is set to affect women’s in the coming years.
“Studies predict women will be worse off in the labour market due to AI,” she said, while claiming such drawbacks also come with opportunities.
Do you think artificial intelligence can end humanity? And is that a tired question, or do you find it relevant?
This question needs to be answered patiently and sometimes with a smile, because nobody knows. Often it is just speculation, and there are many more immediate problems that we need to address.
It is true that AI is unlike other the technologies we have known so far and so were steam engines. But AI is fundamentally different. Still, I believe that if anything destroys us, it will be people. I am more afraid of those who use any technology carelessly, or those who do not take care to avoid hurting the planet. But I do not see a doomsday scenario where AI end the world. After all, our planet is very resilient.
AI research and development is largely in private hands. When you said you were afraid of people, did you mean specific individuals?
I did not mean specific people, but types of people who hold incredible power through technology and the data they hold about us. So for example, I fear for democracy. It is a system that evolved alongside society in a series of twists and turns since the days of ancient Greece, and we have come a long way since then. Democracy still has weaknesses, but so far we have not devised a better tool.
Yet the ability of AI to influence elections undermines a fundamental principle of democracy. Data administrators who nobody elected have suddenly become very powerful. And elected officials often follow and support tech titans. Technology is transforming geopolitics, and this could have serious consequence concerning us all; these are not mere political games played by those in power.
Experts warn that disinformation campaigns and deepfake videos generated by artificial intelligence, which can be easily made, will flood our online spaces. What can individuals do about this?
If I knew what an individual could do to resolve these problems, I would go and do it. But action should come from both the government and individual.
But we should not rely on someone at the top to change everything. Indeed, we determine the outcome of elections, but the major problem is we are being influenced and manipulated in entirely new ways. And many politicians lack the will to protect us from that. The only way to prevent being manipulated is for us as individuals to inform ourselves.
In the past, when someone said something publicly, we usually believed it. It is uncomfortable, but we will have to change how we trust. We cannot believe things automatically; we must demand trustworthy sources for every claim.
A good place to look is towards media outlets that we know verify information diligently - a layman cannot do so with all information they stumble upon.
Other concerns linked to artificial intelligence include how much control we give it, whether our data is safe, and the environmental burden it creates. Are there other “landmines” ordinary people have not noticed?
We live in a society where we cannot trust everyone. Human nature is such that, say, 90 percent of people consciously or subconsciously act in their own interest. I do not mean to condone stealing or cheating, of course, but it is clear to me that people will act in their own interest.
This brings me again to democracy, a vital tool which needs to be protected. Without checks and balances, which AI can undermine, democracy is at risk.
The last thing I asked a chatbot was what I should pack on holiday. Do you ever talk to them about everyday matters, or do you avoid this so as to avoid sharing data about yourself?
To read this story, log in or subscribe
Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a subscriber for as low as €1,75 per week.
Read without limits
Already a subscriber? Login
Unlock article and share
Latest from Digital
Let’s not allow AI firms to use fears of future dystopias to distract Europeans from existing problems
Divided EU cyber defence faces real-life Russian and Chinese threats
Latest from Interview
[Interview] Ceuta crisis shows how EU border outsourcing puts children at risk, says German lawyer
[Interview] Russia has never stopped thinking like an empire — here’s how it shapes and may break the Kremlin
Latest from Society
EU states urged to ‘go beyond’ AI Act to protect people from abusive surveillance
The pay gap isn’t dead, and Brussels is a hotbed for it – even in the NGO sector
Mária Bieliková. Source: Tomáš Hrivňák.
Topics
Author Bio
Zuzana Vitková is a journalist at Slovak Denník N since 2020. She studied journalism in Bratislava. Starting in 2013, she led the popular science portal science.sk, which partnered on content with Denník N from 2015. In 2016, she served as a PR manager at the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
+ Follow author by email