In less than three years since mass-market artificial intelligence became available to consumers, businesses across nearly every industry have rushed to adopt the technology, much like antivaxxers drawn to a multi-level marketing scheme. By 2024, over half of companies with more than 5, 000 employees were using AI. For cost-conscious bosses, AI promises increased productivity and reduced overhead — specifically wages traditionally paid to human employees. However, as workers worldwide grow anxious about an AI-driven future controlled by a few massive tech giants, the rush to adopt AI is already impacting job markets noticeably. Due to AI, the number of young college graduates entering the workforce has hit an all-time low, full-time salaried positions are increasingly turning into gig roles, and resume exaggerations are becoming commonplace as job hunting turns into a nightmarish ordeal. While wealthy tech leaders like Marc Andreessen suggest that technology will magically liberate us all, history tells a different story: technological advances often exacerbate existing inequalities rather than diminish them. This pattern has been observed by prominent thinkers like Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking long before AI became mainstream. In fact, AI has already exhibited significant gender and racial biases, a result of the data it is trained on, and experts warn that combining biased software with a broad global rollout is fueling exploitation. Unsurprisingly, AI is expected to widen the gender gap in employment, according to an updated report from the United Nations' International Labour Organisation (ILO). Building on 2023 estimates about automation risks posed by AI to various jobs, the report reveals that in high-income countries such as the US, women's chances of being in roles with “high automation potential” have increased to 9. 6 percent, up from 7. 8 percent two years ago. This rate is nearly three times higher than the 3. 5 percent risk men face today, which itself increased from 2. 9 percent in 2023. The study also highlights that one in three workers in wealthy nations is “somewhat exposed” to automation, compared to a global average of one in four. The ILO report emphasizes that jobs predominantly held by women in affluent countries — including administrative, clerical, and data entry positions — are particularly vulnerable to AI-driven automation. Sociologists point out that although the gender gap in hours worked has significantly narrowed in recent years, meaning men and women work roughly the same number of hours, the gender pay gap remains.

This is partly because women's work hours are more often spent on household tasks compared to men’s. With AI positioned to “revolutionize work, ” meaningful changes to our labor systems will be necessary to protect women from the austerity effects driven by AI. More on AI: Executives Are Pouring Money Into AI. So Why Are They Saying It's Not Paying Off?