Daily Maverick columnists urged against pressuring women over AI
Sharon Peake and Bronwyn Williams, co-authors of the book Survive the AI Apocalypse: A Guide for Solutionists, urged employers in a column for Daily Maverick not to pressure women into unconditionally using artificial intelligence tools at work. In the authors’ view, scepticism toward AI should not be considered professional incompetence or an obstacle to career advancement.
AI scepticism and risks
Peake and Williams cite research according to which women use AI less often than men. In their view, such caution is linked not only to a tendency to avoid risk, but also to an awareness of the potential impact of technology on women’s employment, work tasks and career opportunities.
The authors argue that reckless implementation of AI may deepen inequality in the labour market. They also state that women who use such tools may face negative perceptions from colleagues and managers, while men in similar situations are more often regarded as pragmatic.
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Company data and employee monitoring
In the column, the authors urge companies to consider the risks of transferring corporate data, professional experience and intellectual property to AI providers. In their view, employees’ prompts, the tools used and corrections of model errors may contain knowledge valuable to the business.
Peake and Williams also criticise the use of AI to monitor employees, including to track working hours, keystrokes or assess whether a person performs tasks independently. They believe employers should assess not the mere fact of AI use, but the useful outcome of work for clients.
The authors opposed the use of AI in recruitment and urged companies to value employees who ask difficult questions and draw attention to the long-term consequences of technological decisions.
