“Women must help shape AI, not remain mere users of technology”

: Author Nimisha Jha

By D P Mishra

NEW DELHI: As Artificial Intelligence increasingly influences jobs, healthcare, education, finance and public services, an important question is often overlooked: Are women getting an equal opportunity to shape the technology that is changing their lives?

Author Nimisha Jha explores this question in her book “India’s AI Through Her Lens”.

The book looks at AI not merely as a technology but through the experiences of women affected by its growing use.

Jha says women should not remain mere users or beneficiaries of technology but should also participate in designing, developing and governing it. They should become their leaders, creators and architects.

“Women must have a voice in deciding how technology is built and used. They should be part of the AI journey as researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and decision-makers,” Jha told the media at the launch of her book at the IGNCA, New Delhi. 

The author also warns that technology does not affect everyone equally. A rural woman, a student looking for her first job, a small entrepreneur seeking credit and a professional working in the technology sector may experience the AI revolution differently.

She says India also needs to approach AI through its own social realities, including linguistic diversity, unequal access to technology and differences in education and economic opportunities.

The book examines how AI is influencing women’s lives in areas such as employment, healthcare, education, finance and governance.

Its larger message is simple: women should not merely adapt to the AI revolution; they should have an equal role in shaping it.

As India seeks to emerge as a major global player in Artificial Intelligence, Jha says technological progress should be measured not only by smarter algorithms and economic growth but also by whether it expands opportunities and reduces inequalities.

“Women must have an equal voice in deciding the future we are building with Artificial Intelligence,” she says. 

The book was launched by the Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal in the presence of Minister of State Savitri Thakur and other dignitaries comprising academiciqns policy makers, civil servants and media, at a function at the IGNCA, New Delhi.

Delhi Bureau : Virendra Mishra