Artificial intelligence (AI) risks reproducing discrimination against women in certain areas, including recruitment and lending, unless AI-based systems are trained and developed more fairly, according to the Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM).
Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, chairperson of KADEM’s board of trustees, said women’s underrepresentation in shaping AI could cause inequalities experienced in the real world to be reflected in digital systems.
"We know that men have a greater presence in this field. At least for now, we see that women are not sufficiently involved in shaping AI or adequately represented in this area,” Bayraktar said.
She said this created the potential for discrimination against women in the real world to be transferred to the digital world.
"In fact, we are now seeing that this is happening, rather than it merely being a risk,” she said.
Bayraktar made the remarks during the GITEX AI Türkiye 2026 event at the Istanbul Expo Center, where she participated in a session titled "Women, Leadership and Human-Centered Innovation in the Age of AI.”
She said AI was no longer an issue limited to engineers, technology companies or professionals working in the sector.
"AI has entered every area of your life,” she said, noting that the technology was allowing many tasks to be carried out with smaller groups and in shorter periods, particularly in entrepreneurship.
Bayraktar said the way AI systems are trained and the real-world experiences incorporated into them directly affect the results they produce.
She cited recruitment processes in which AI-based systems had continued to produce disadvantages for women, as well as credit applications where women with profiles similar to those of men had received less favorable outcomes.
"Therefore, we believe it is really important for AI-based systems to be trained and shaped more fairly,” she said.
Bayraktar also emphasized the importance of increasing women’s participation in technology and AI sectors.
KADEM has been working on women’s relationship with technology since 2020 through research, workshops, panels and international summits, Bayraktar said.
The foundation held an international summit in 2020 titled "Staying Human in the Digital Age” and another in 2024 focusing on "Artificial Intelligence and Women.”
KADEM also supports women entrepreneurs through its Women in Innovation Program, which backs initiatives using AI and technology.
Bayraktar said KADEM was participating in GITEX AI Türkiye 2026 both to highlight its work in the field and to showcase projects developed by women entrepreneurs participating in the program.
"Women entrepreneurs are also why we are here. Our colleagues are showcasing their projects here one-on-one, and we are very proud of them,” she said.